Guardian Angels
by Haruhara Haruko
Summary: Cloud x Tifa. Yuffie x Vincent. Ch 17 - Yuffie and Vinny make out in a pile of paper cranes. XD Cloud and Tifa get married and crap. Look this fic is updated after a year and a half! :O
1. Prologue : Remember Me

Welcome to my first ever drama/romance. *gasp* Finally, something besides humor. I worked INCREDIBLY hard on this, and hope it's worthy. ^^ So please read and tell me what you think!!  
  
The pairings in this are Cloud x Tifa, Yuffie x Vincent, and Cid x Shera. The fic focuses, more than anything, on Cloud and Tifa. Barret, Cait Sith, and Red XIII aren't talked about a lot; they sorta disappear in the fic since they're not main characters at all. There is NO Aeris bashing whatsoever; she's a very main character. And finally, this takes place after the game so there are a few spoilers. Just wanted to clear all that up...  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Square or anything, but you know that. This disclaimer applies for the rest of the story.  
  
~*~  
  
{ PROLOGUE ~ REMEMBER ME }  
  
A swift airship flew through the wet violet midnight sky. The world of Gaia towered beneath it, silent and prismatic. The airship seemed real. The sky seemed real. Everything seemed so real... Yet the scene was trapped in a surreal world. The beauty was trapped in a single crystal ball. The crystal ball was lying in a dark room, the one that marked the border between two dimensions...  
  
A young woman walked into the room. She was surrounded with a gentle aura, and she had the instant powers to ward away evil. The woman's glowing green eyes caught the vision of the crystal ball. She sat down before it and focused her soft gaze.  
  
"I can't protect you now..." she whispered, her voice calm and sweet, "A greater evil has fallen. Stop it with the force of your hearts and never, ever give up hope..." A single tear rolled down the woman's cheek and fell onto the ground. Her emotions were welled up inside her, pushing to get out.  
  
How this woman longed to be with her best friends on that airship. Barret, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Yuffie, Vincent, Cid, Shera, Tifa, and Cloud... She was a hero too, after all. Like them, she fought to save the world. She deserved to be there right now, but fate stepped in and decided otherwise...  
  
She closed her eyes for a moment, then stood up. The woman lifted her gown slightly, trying not to step on the edges as she walked. She headed for the exit out of this room, the one that would lead her back into the opposite dimension, but stopped before the door. She turned her head, her brown hair waving around her face. For a long time, she stood there and longingly stared at the crystal ball.  
  
"Remember me always," she finally uttered, "Especially you, Cloud and Tifa..." With that, she stepped out of the room.  
  
~*~*~  
  
I know it's short... Everyone knows who that woman is, right? -_-;; But should I continue? Once again, I worked really hard, so I'd love encouragement... 


	2. Chapter I : Lost Emotions

^^;; I know the prologue was short. But There was really nothing else to put there but what I did. Anyway, here's Ch. 1, enjoy!  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER I ~ LOST EMOTIONS }  
  
  
  
Tifa Lockhart stood on the dock of the Highwind, looking down at the opaque water. Above her was the damp deep violet sky. It had been raining just a while ago, and everyone had to stay in their rooms. Now, Tifa was out here, enjoying the rainy air.  
  
Just after Sephiroth had been defeated and the world was placed back into balance, the team of 8 visited Rocket Town. There, Cid proposed to Shera and they were married in only a week. The party lived there for a month before planning a vacation in Costa Del Sol. When they were ready to set out to the tropical city, Shera had announced her sudden pregnancy and decided to come along in fear of being left alone.  
  
Then, Cid and Shera decided to make the Highwind more fit for the party's traveling. They added rooms, so everyone could sleep there. A kitchen and main room were built in as well. The whole process took an extra month.  
  
So finally, the team of 9--Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Yuffie, Vincent, Cid, and Shera--set out to Costa Del Sol. 5 short months had passed since Sephiroth's defeat, and now, the party was ready to split up. Soon, after a little more traveling, Cid would drop each individual off at their hometown or another place of their liking.  
  
Tifa hated goodbyes. She didn't want to leave all her friends. After all, they were all she had left. Tifa would return back to Sector 7, where she would rebuild her bar and live there for the rest of her life...  
  
Tears sprung up in her firey eyes. Now there was nothing left for her.  
  
'Snap out of it,' Tifa bitterly thought, 'Just enjoy the next few days.' The last place that Cid would take them was the Gold Saucer. A final night of fun awaited.  
  
Right now, the only feeling Tifa had was depression. There were too many emotions being thrown at her head. She just wanted to let them all go... To find her own private realm and stay locked up in there forever...  
  
To die...  
  
She wanted death. But that, too, was something else that burdened her. Tifa couldn't think anymore. She took one final look into the ocean below and a tear slipped out of her eye. It touched the crashing waves and like that, dissapeared.  
  
The way she wanted to dissapear. Tifa turned around and made her way back to the room that she and Yuffie shared. She fell onto her soft bed and let sleep overcome all.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Thanks for reading. I hope the story is kinda falling into place here. Please review and tell me what you think or give suggestions!! 


	3. Chapter II : Trapped

Thanks for all the reviews!! ^_^ You guys have no idea how encouraging they are. I'm really enjoying writing this fic, so please continue reading and reviewing!!!  
  
-_-;; The chapters are so short since, in truth, I don't have a lot to place in between. If I made the chapters longer, then the story would be rushed and everything would happen really fast. I'll try my best to make the chapters a little longer, though.  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER II ~ TRAPPED }  
  
A gentle push awoke Tifa. She opened her her eyes swiftly and sprang up. Yuffie stood before her, giggling softly.  
  
"That was sudden," Yuffie said between giggles.  
  
"I always have to be prepared for anything," Tifa grumbled, laying back on the bed. Yuffie had changed a lot during the journey. She was now more open to her friends, more kind. And she rarely dug through their personal belongings looking for goodies to steal. But no matter what, Yuffie would always remain a happy person. She'd always be a giggly teenager.  
  
"Everyone's having breakfast already," Yuffie told Tifa, a more serious expression on her face.  
  
Tifa understood. She wasn't supposed to miss this. Everyone would discuss their destinations today. Tifa and Yuffie made their way to the dining room where a large table was positioned in the middle. Yuffie grabbed the seat in between Cloud and Vincent before Tifa reached it. Tifa sighed inwardly, hoping to be nearer to Cloud. But she couldn't help that now. Tifa sat down between Shera and Barret.  
  
"Alright, we all have to decide on where we're going," Cid said, giving his wife a loving glance, "Shera and I are of course going to Rocket Town."  
  
They all went around the table, each person giving Cid an answer as they ate. Some answers were automatic; Red XIII going to Cosmo Canyon, Yuffie heading to Wutai. Some answers were surprising; Barret planning to live in Elmyra's house to make Marlene happier, Vincent traveling. And some answers were depressing... Well, only one answer.  
  
"I don't know." As simple as that. When it came Cloud's turn, he shrugged and said three quick words.  
  
"Come on, you have to go somewhere!" Cid prodded.  
  
"I don't have a home..."  
  
"Dammit Cloud, just give me a fuckin' answer!!!" Cid spat, getting angrier by the moment. He stood up and glared at Cloud across the table.  
  
"Cid..." Shera turned away. Cid promised her that he'd quit swearing and smoking. He promised to control his anger. 'It turns out that promises are nothing...' she thought miserably. No tears came, only emotional pain dug at her head.  
  
Cid sighed and slumped back down in his chair. Did all pregnant women make big deals out of such small things...? "I'm sorry," he said gently, reaching for Shera's hand. The other party members shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Every single morning, it was the same thing...  
  
"Look, I'll come back to you." Cid gave Cloud a final rude glance and moved on to Yuffie. Finally Tifa's turn had come.  
  
"Sector 7," Tifa said plainly, her words strong and clear, "I'll rebuild my bar." Everyone had expected the answer. Cid accepted it gladly.  
  
"Great, so now we have nearly everyone's destinations clear..." Cid looked back at Cloud, his face emotionless.  
  
"Um... Just drop me off where ever you put Vincent. I'll be traveling," Cloud mumbled, his eyes blankly staring down at his food. Tifa looked at him, hurt. She could tell that Cloud didn't even care anymore. That he only wanted to give an answer and decide later. Tifa knew him too well.  
  
"Alright, one more thing... Anyone wanna stop anywhere before we head to the Gold Saucer?" Cid questioned.  
  
'Nibelheim...' A sudden thought made its way into Tifa's mind. This was the last chance she had to travel. After the Gold Saucer trip was over, everyone would split up. Tifa wouldn't have access to the Highwind ever again unless Cid and Shera stopped by to visit her... She HAD to go to Nibelheim.  
  
As the word came to her lips, some force stopped her. Tifa could feel something in her heart that screamed, "Don't go!"  
  
She tried again. And again, she couldn't say a thing. Tifa gave up and decided to ask Cid later.  
  
"Can we go to Cosmo Canyon?" Red XIII asked hopefully.  
  
"Sure. Let's spend the day getting ready. We'll be there tomorrow morning," Cid said in agreement. Tifa managed to put a smile on her face, though she felt angry and hurt inside. Everyone cleared out of the dining room and headed back to their rooms to prepare for the stop at Cosmo Canyon.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Yuffie asked when she and Tifa arrived at their rooms. Tifa was looking nervous which made Yuffie nervous too. After all, Tifa stuck with her through the trip. She was the person Yuffie felt closest too, a lot like a mother.  
  
"Nothing..." Tifa shifted uncomfortably and began to sort through her belongings.  
  
"You can tell me," Yuffie prodded. Tifa opened her mouth to talk about the feeling she had earlier, but it came again. The force wouldn't let her speak about it. Tears welled up in Tifa's eyes and she turned away from Yuffie. She felt trapped, locked up like a bird in a cage. She couldn't say what she wanted... All her rights to freedom disappeared in an instant...  
  
"Please don't bother me, Yuffie," Tifa whispered hoarsely. She didn't want to be mean to Yuffie, but there was really no other way to put it.  
  
"Alright..." The word came out in a sad, helpless tone. Tifa bit her lip to prevent answering Yuffie.  
  
The day passed that way. Tifa found that she couldn't even say the word 'Nibelheim', not even to herself. She decided to ignore the feelings. Tifa could always ride a chocobo to Nibelheim later...  
  
~*~*~  
  
I hope that chapter was a little longer. Please keep reviewing!! 


	4. Chapter III : Dreams and Wishes

Welcome back!! I'm sorry this chapter took a while to post. ^^;; Well, at least it's longer than the others! ^_^ Enjoy!!  
  
reese; She's losing her friends and she's gonna be alone now.  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER III ~ DREAMS AND WISHES }  
  
Tifa couldn't sleep that night. She lay awake, thinking. Thoughts about her friends ran through her head. There was the depression again, it came to dig at her brain.  
  
'Everything will be alright... I'll rebuild my bar and earn up some money... And then move back to Nibelheim...' With the comforting thoughts, sleep finally came.  
  
~*~  
  
Darkness. It was everywhere. It represented pain, suffering, and evil. A harsh, mysterious silence accompanied it...  
  
No, not silence. A soft laughter rang out. The pure and innocent laugh of a young child. It was familiar, yet unknown. It was a mix of two voices.  
  
Suddenly... The laughter turned into screaming and crying. The painful, bitter crying that would try to reach you, to call out 'Help me...!' So much emotion was expressed in the sound. Pain, hatred, fear...  
  
Abruptly, everything went mute. The darkness and silence went hand-in-hand, accompanying each other, completing the heavy feeling.  
  
And again, the silence disappeared. It was replaced with a swift noise, something flying through the air. Laughter followed. Harsh, evil laughter... Taunting, offering a challenge...  
  
'Tifa...'  
  
'Tifa, beware... Beware of the arrow...'  
  
~*~  
  
Tifa's eyes opened and she quickly sat up. She was dreaming. Tifa looked around the room. Yuffie was sleeping soundly in the other bed. Tifa sat back in her bed and stared up at the ceiling.  
  
She remembered her whole dream. A child laughing, then crying, and then... Was the child killed? By whoever was laughing...? The voices seemed so familiar, but Tifa couldn't figure out whose they were. It was as if she wasn't supposed to know. She glanced over at the clock that hung on the wall across from her. 3:50.  
  
'I still have a few hours to sleep,' Tifa thought. She yawned and closed her eyes.  
  
~*~  
  
Tifa awoke around 9:00 A.M. Yuffie wasn't in the room. Tifa reasoned that she was out on the dock, or having breakfast. She got ready herself and made her way to the dining room. Vincent, Cloud, Barret, and Yuffie were eating at the table. Cait Sith was sitting in the corner, looking through the window.  
  
"Good morning," Tifa greeted. "Where are the others?"  
  
Cait Sith glanced over at her. "Out on the dock. We're almost at Cosmo Canyon."  
  
Tifa thanked Cait and walked out of the room. Once she was on the dock, she saw Cid and the pilots-in-training steering the airship, Shera standing beside them. Red XIII was lying on the ground, his unscarred eye looking down at the fields that the ship passed. Tifa walked over to Shera.  
  
"We passed Nibelheim just an hour ago. We'll be there soon," Shera said, noticing Tifa.  
  
Nibelheim... Tifa ignored it. She ignored the feelings of envy, of confusion, of longing. Tifa stood on the dock for a while, staring down at the ground. Eventually, the other party members came out as well. Some time passed.  
  
"We're here!" Red XIII suddenly said. He sat up and stared at the majestic crimson canyon, set out beneath the airship. Shera motioned for the pilots- in-training to land the airship. Once they did, they all left to take a break for the day.  
  
Red XIII was the first to leave the airship, jumping from the dock, more graceful than a cat. Yuffie followed him in the same manner, but she landed heavily. A slight pain visibly spread through the muscles in her legs. She turned her head and gave a weak grin to her friends above.  
  
No one seemed to notice except Shera, who laughed at Yuffie's attempts and Tifa, who smiled gently. And Vincent, who was staring at the ninja with a worried look on his face... Yuffie raised an eyebrow and her smile disappeared. She and Vincent quickly turned their heads away and their gazes set elsewhere.  
  
Yuffie's heart was pounding heavily. 'What's wrong with me?!' she thought, panicking. It wasn't as if no one had ever looked at her like that. Tifa always had that worried look on her face. Even Barret and Cid cared. What was different this time?  
  
Of course... Vincent NEVER looked at anyone like that. He was always cold and uncaring. He never asked if anyone if they were okay, never even glanced their way when they were hurt.  
  
Yuffie put the feelings aside. She didn't want to think of this now, or ever. Everyone continued to the entrance of the canyon.  
  
"Welcome back, Nanaki!" a man called. He smiled at Red XIII and walked over. "We weren't expecting you so soon. Go visit Bugenhagen." Red XIII smiled in appreciation and the party continued on. They reached Bugenhagen's lab where they found him studying.  
  
"Hello! Welcome! I guess you'll be staying for the day?" Bugenhagen greeted. Red XIII nodded and a short conversation followed. Bugenhagen served the party lunch afterward. Some of the party members didn't even have breakfast, so the lack made lunch more enjoyable.  
  
"You can all go walk around the canyon for now. Meet here tonight," Bugenhagen told them. The party said their thanks and headed outside.  
  
"You all know the canyon pretty well, right?" Red questioned everyone once they were outside the lab.  
  
"Yeah. But we should pair up just in case," Cloud said. Everyone agreed. Cid quickly grabbed Shera.  
  
"...Well..." Yuffie said, speaking for everyone, "What about the rest of us?"  
  
Cloud looked over at Tifa. She was leaning against the wall of the lab, her eyes transparent as if staring into space. 'Should I...?' Cloud thought. He bit his lip and hesitated. Carefully, he touched Tifa's hand. She jumped up and turned his way, managing a smile.  
  
"Wanna go together?" The corners of his mouth lifted, a small smile forming. Those were words she didn't expect to hear.  
  
'Stay calm,' Tifa told herself. She didn't want to act stupid, even though this wasn't a big decision. "Sure."  
  
Cloud and Tifa headed off, as did Cid and Shera. Barret, Cait Sith, Red XIII, Yuffie, and Vincent looked at each other helplessly.  
  
"I'm going alone!" Yuffie broke the silence. She grinned and turned to run. Barret pulled her collar, keeping her from moving.  
  
"You'll get lost. Besides, you're not getting out of this so easily." Yuffie sighed at Barret's words. She sat on the ground and scratched at the soft dirt with her nails. Yuffie sat there for a while, focusing on etching shapes in the dirt like a young child.  
  
"...Are you coming, or not?" Vincent asked. He didn't look at her, as if he was talking to the wind. Yuffie looked up, surprised. It was then she realized that Barret, Red XIII, and Cait Sith had already left, probably together. She and Vincent were the only ones left.  
  
What was she supposed to say? 'Sorry, Vinnie, but I'm scared of you cause you never talk to me'? That partly wasn't true.  
  
'Why should I? Go back to your cave and mourn over a dead body'? Yuffie wasn't that cruel.  
  
'Of course, you know we'll always be there for each other. I love you'? Yuffie gritted her teeth and kicked at the dust. Where the hell had that come from? 'I love you.' She kicked the dust again, harder, and this time Vincent looked at her in surprise.  
  
Yuffie realized that Vincent was waiting. She quickly considered a few choices and made a decision. "Yeah."  
  
The two walked off, keeping a safe distance from each other.  
  
~*~  
  
Tifa and Cloud walked through the town-like area, trying to make conversation every few minutes. They both felt akward and knew it. Nothing could help that, though. Tifa stopped at the Materia shop, looking at the displays. Two young men were standing a few feet away from Tifa and Cloud, talking to each other.  
  
"...He found an arrow... It's floating over Gaia..."  
  
"No kidding? Bugenhagen's always making discoveries. He does a lot of research on these things..."  
  
"But he didn't do any research on this. It's hard to miss, I heard that the thing just appeared in his Materia display."  
  
"How big is it?"  
  
"Big enough to destroy Gaia."  
  
"Seriously...? Nah, he's gotta be lying."  
  
Tifa paused, listening to the two men. She missed half of their conversation, not being there earlier. That couldn't be helped now. She glanced over at Cloud with a confused look on her face, and saw that he was also straining to listen. Cloud stood still for a moment, then walked over to the men.  
  
"Excuse me? I heard you talking. Can you tell me more about this arrow?" he said cautiously, clearly trying to appear innocent. Tifa choked back a laugh, seeing that it was impossible for Cloud to look harmless. His Buster Sword graced his back, his glowing mako eyes screamed 'I'm your enemy!'  
  
But the two men didn't seem like they would start a fight. "Everyone in Cosmo Canyon knows about this. You're a traveler, huh?" one of the men asked. Cloud nodded.  
  
"The kid who guards the entrance all the time, he's one of Bugenhagen's best friends. He told us that Bugenhagen found an arrow floating over Gaia," the other man began.  
  
Cloud shook his head. "I heard you talking about that. Is there anything else you can tell me?"  
  
"Nope. That's all we know. You can only find out more by asking Bugenhagen," the man said. Cloud thanked the two and walked back over to Tifa.  
  
"We have some questioning to do," Cloud said, grinning.  
  
~*~  
  
^_^ What happens to the other party members will be described in the next chapter. A bit Yuffie x Vincent ensues. Thanks for reading, and as always, please tell me what you think!! 


	5. Chapter IV : Questions

Welcome back!!! ^_^ Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I read every comment and they're all very important to me. Thanks again, and here's the chapter. BTW, there's kinda some attempted Yuffentine in here. Not a lot, just a bit of crap. I'm not much of a romance author though, so sorry... ^^;;  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER IV ~ QUESTIONS }  
  
Yuffie and Vincent walked through the outside of the canyon. There was red dust everywhere, and the whole field was silent. Yuffie hated it.  
  
'Why do we have to be in Cosmo Canyon, anyway?' she thought angrily, 'I just wanna go home to Wutai... Now, we're getting caught up in this! And what's the point of walking around this place all day?' Yuffie never hesitated to express her anger, even if in minor ways. She kicked at the dust. Unfortunately, she put too much force into it. Dust went flying everywhere and dirtied hers and Vincent's shoes.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Vincent asked in his usual cold tone. Yuffie wasn't surprised at the question. She was too pissed off to be surprised. Besides, Vincent had given clues that he cared for Yuffie all day. She didn't make much of it, just ignored the subject.  
  
"..." Yuffie didn't answer. She climbed onto a boulder and sat there, looking over the gigantic canyon. Vincent took a seat beside her. Yuffie, once again, didn't act surprised. She was too tired. It was only around 4:00 P.M., but then again, she wasn't physically tired... Yuffie was tired in her heart. Worn out, angry. She only wanted to relax.  
  
"Can I talk to you?" Yuffie asked suddenly, looking over at Vincent. She wanted to collapse. Yuffie herself could tell that she was half- unconscious, so she decided to let Vincent know and then drop all her feelings onto him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why do you still love Lucrecia?"  
  
Vincent raised an eyebrow. He definitely didn't expect to hear that. Yuffie glanced at him, then returned her stare to the deep red canyon. What should he do? Answer her? Truthfully?  
  
"I don't."  
  
Yuffie leaned forward and wrapped her hands around her knees. "I mean, she's dead... And she never loved you..."  
  
"Did you hear me? I don't."  
  
She glanced his way, putting on the most surprised look she could. Considering how tired she was, it didn't look all that convincing. "What?"  
  
"I love her, but in a distant way... I've faced the facts, and everyone was right. She didn't care. I love her with all my heart, but because she didn't love me back, I can only love her half-way."  
  
Yuffie understood for the first time. "Don't say that. She--"  
  
Vincent shook his head. "Stop."  
  
The two sat there for a while, silent. Half an hour or so passed. The canyon slightly darkened with the setting sun. Vincent stood up and glanced at Yuffie. She was leaning on the boulder, her eyes closed. Her hands were placed under her head in a graceful position, like an angel's. Vincent neared closer.  
  
"Let's go back."  
  
Yuffie nodded in a sleepy-like state and stood. The two headed back to the town.  
  
~*~  
  
"This is it... A long time ago, I promised Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie that I would bring them to this spot..." Barret smiled weakly. He looked around the area, taking in the beautiful sight. Barret, Red XIII, and Cait Sith stood at in the center of the canyon, at Cosmo Candle. The fire burned softly, crackling and sending sparks to the ground. Cait Sith looked at Barret consolingly.  
  
'He's gone through a lot,' Cait Sith thought. Losing his wife and friends, trying to battle ShinRa...  
  
Barret gazed at the fire. He finally looked up. "What time is it?"  
  
"Somewhere around 4:00," Red XIII informed. Barret sat back and stared up at the sky. Crimson clouds floated by, concealing spots of vivid orange and yellow. He smiled.  
  
'You're up there, aren't you? Jessie, Biggs, Wedge... You three are watching over me. Over all of us.' Emotions dropped on him, tearing Barret apart, begging to take over his mind. Barret would have none of that. He wasn't weak. '...Thanks.' His thoughts ended at that.  
  
Barret sat up and looked at Red XIII and Cait Sith. Red was sprawled on the ground, his paws cradling his head. The tiger-like creature kept close to the fire, the warmth engulfing his body. Cait Sith leaned on Mog, his eyes half-closed.  
  
'They're not ready to go... Might as well enjoy the moment.' Barret leaned back and closed his eyes.  
  
~*~  
  
"Are you two just gonna stay here?" Bugenhagen questioned.  
  
"Where do you suggest we go?" Cid grinned softly.  
  
"Buy something for your friends, the shops are open," Bugenhagen said as he turned back to his books. He was clearly annoyed at the couple.  
  
"Don't have any gil." Cid flashed an annoying smile.  
  
"Cid, let's go check on the pilots in training." Shera didn't want to bother Red's grandfather anymore. He was kind enough to let them stay at his lab for the day, after all. She grabbed Cid's arm and pulled him outside.  
  
"What do you think you're doing, bothering an old man?" Shera hissed. "He didn't do anything to us!"  
  
"Hey, sorry--" Cid stopped mid-sentence. He stared behind Shera, his eyes widening.  
  
"What's wrong?" The expression on her face softened. Cid looked serious. If there was a cigar in his mouth right now, it would fall out. Shera turned slowly and followed Cid's eyes up to the planetarium.  
  
"See that spot? It's glowing..." Cid said, keeping his gaze focused. Shera nodded. Outside the planetarium, a small area was lit with a white glow.  
  
"What is it?" Shera asked in wonder.  
  
"I don't know... Let's go back and ask."  
  
"No! You're not bothering Bugenhagen anymore!"  
  
"I won't. I just want to know what that glowing area is. Look, we helped save the world. That planetarium is open to us and we're entitled to barge in there."  
  
Shera smiled softly. "You're right. Let's go."  
  
The two ran back into the lab. Bugenhagen turned at the sound of the shutting door.  
  
"Back already?" Bugenhagen's eyes landed on Cid and Shera. "Oh, you two again."  
  
"We saw a glowing area outside the planetarium, in the wall." Cid's eyes flashed. He stared at Bugenhagen firmly.  
  
"Tell us. What is it?" Shera spoke up.  
  
Cid could tell that he was making the old man uncomfortable. Bugenhagen bit his lip and shifted slightly. Cid liked it. It was about time that some answers were cleared up.  
  
"Alright... I'll explain everything. Let's just wait til the others get back," Bugenhagen said. He turned around and shut his eyes tightly, regretting his decision...  
  
~*~ 


	6. Chapter V : Answers

Welcome back! ^_^  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER V ~ ANSWERS }  
  
Cid and Shera sat in the lab, waiting for the others to return. Bugenhagen was occupied at his desk, studying.  
  
"Why do we have to wait? Can't you just tell us what it is?" Cid said, leaning forward. He was tired of waiting.  
  
"I want to say this to everyone, at the same time... It may change your future." Bugenhagen's words were quiet, yet they echoed through the room. Shera shuddered softly, realizing the importance. Whatever this was, it was going to be big...  
  
The door opened and Yuffie and Vincent walked in. Their shoes were sprinkled with dust, apparently from the canyon.  
  
Yuffie caught the curious glances of her friends and smiled softly. She sat down beside Shera and leaned back, closing her deep gray eyes. "Don't ask."  
  
Shera turned to Vincent, an eyebrow raised. Vincent walked to the corner and leaned on the wall. He crossed his arms and lowered his gaze, ignoring Shera.  
  
Mere minutes later, Barret, Red XIII, and Cait Sith arrived. They took places in the room. Bugenhagen explained the situation to everyone. Finally, the door burst open. Cloud and Tifa rushed in.  
  
"Bugenhagen..." Cloud gasped, out of breath. He looked up. "We heard a few people talking about some 'arrow'..."  
  
Bugenhagen sighed nervously. "I'll explain..." Bugenhagen led the party to the planetarium. He took them up into the planetarium and it came to life instantly. Everything was in place, Gaia floating in the center, the three materias surrounding it. Except one thing was different. Directly above Gaia, shining blindingly, a strange object soared.  
  
It was in the shape of an arrow, the kind you'd shoot from a crossbow. The object was very large, about 5 times bigger than the model of Gaia. It had a bright glow--even though it was black. The arrow cast an evil presence through the planetarium. It threatened everyone, challenging them, taunting them. But the scariest and strangest thing... The tip was directed at Gaia. As if, at any minute, some invisible crossbow would shoot it and it would somehow destroy the world.  
  
"It just appeared some time ago. About a week or so back. I was checking on the materias, and there it was..." Bugehagen sighed slightly. "I don't know what it is."  
  
Tifa shuddered. The arrow looked so familiar, as if she had seen it before. Or was it another of her senses, feeling danger? Trying to warn her?  
  
Tifa couldn't take it. She didn't know what was wrong, but she wouldn't have any of it. Tifa fled from the room, tears slipping down her face. Everyone looked after her with confused expressions.  
  
"I'll go get her," Yuffie said, nodding to the others.  
  
"No... I will." Cloud stepped before Yuffie. A firm frown formed on his face and he walked after Tifa.  
  
"Anyway... Is that all?" Barret asked, directing the question at Bugenhagen.  
  
"Well, yes."  
  
"It's not right." The words came from Vincent. Everyone turned to him, surprised. "I think it's an enemy. We have to stop it, whatever it is. If it's in the model, it's above our planet right now..."  
  
"That's right! Let's go out there and save the world again!" Yuffie flashed a smile toward Vincent and turned to her friends.  
  
"Yeah!" Barret cheered. The party stepped off the planetarium and ran from the room, laughing.  
  
Bugenhagen looked after them, a strange expression on his face. He sighed and turned to his desk. "Kids will be kids... Well, sorta..."  
  
~*~  
  
"Tifa?" Cloud pushed through people as his glowing eyes searched the town. Where was she? She just ran off in the middle of Bugenhagen's explanation.  
  
Cloud bit his lip. It began to bleed heavily, covering his mouth with the bitter taste. Tifa wasn't anywhere in the town. She could be on the airship... Or lost somewhere in the canyon... It was getting dark outside. Cloud pushed his way out of the town and ran through the canyon. If Tifa was in the airship, she'd be safer. But if she was in the canyon, Tifa could get hurt... After all, monsters came out at night...  
  
~*~ 


	7. Chapter VI : Find Your Way

^_^ Thanks for the reviews, they mean so much to me!!  
  
Shinsetsu; ^^;; Thanks for correcting me... Well, I guess I meant to write a bow+arrow style arrow. Anyway, I hope everyone understands that it's just a weapon that can be used in the bow+arrow. It's gonna be important later on...  
  
Starr; Hiiii!!!! =DDD I love your ficcy!! We always welcome new authors here at ff.net. ^^ GO READ STARR'S FIC, EVERYONE!!!  
  
amanda; ^^;;;; I'm sorry I don't update and write such short crap... I'm a beginner at romances though, keep in mind. Hope I can get to writing a few more... So let this be just a practice, kay? ^_^ Anyway, I LOVE originals!!! =DDD And I'll definitely e-mail you soon.  
  
BrereMarer; Um... Yeah... ^^;; I know it's not so romantic so far... I have to go change the 'drama' genre to 'action / adventure'. It's gonna be more of a quest fic, but near the end of it, you'll realize that there's one huge theme that does have a lot to do with Cloud and Tifa. And I hope the ending will be surprising and acceptable. ^_^ I have this whole fic planned out and I promise, everyone, that it's DEFINITELY worth reading... In the middle, you'll get more into the plot... The middle's where signs of Aeris start appearing... *hint hint wink wink*  
  
Kittie Gurl; Hi! I don't know who you are really... O.o But I noticed that you've really been keeping up with this fic and reviewing all the time... Thanks so much!!!! ^___^ I read all your fics-they're damn awesome!!! =DDD I'll get to reviewing some time later though... My comp's screwed up... Anyway, I also saw your site and it's frikkin' cool!! ^^ 'If Gods Only Knew...' is GREAT!!!! ^___^ EVERYONE, GO SEE KITTIE GURL'S SITE!!!!!!  
  
Ahem. I read all your people's reviews and love them all. ^^ So keep reviewing, you all have no idea what a great feeling it is to have someone appreciate your work!!! =DDD  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER VI ~ FIND YOUR WAY }  
  
"Where are they?" Red XIII asked nervously. Tifa had been gone for an hour and Cloud was searching for her during all that time. The party quickly lost their enthusiasm on saving the world when Cloud and Tifa hadn't returned. After all, the team was incomplete.  
  
Everyone was bunched up around Cosmo Candle. The town was dark, and the fire was the only light around. If the two returned now, they'd see the glow. Shera leaned on Cid's shoulder in one corner, Red and Cait Sith on either side of them. Barret was lying on the ground, staring up. Yuffie sat close to the fire and warmed her hands on the protruding heat. Vincent was crouching a small distance from the party. His face was emotionless as usual.  
  
"...Should I go look for them?" Yuffie asked, looking up.  
  
"No. You're the youngest of us," Vincent informed.  
  
Yuffie turned Vincent's way. More than anything, she hated being called young. As she got ready to complain, her anger ceased. It disappeared, reminding Yuffie that she was no longer an annoying thief.  
  
Yuffie quickly picked out another reason. "I have my weapons with me."  
  
"So does Tifa." Barret sat up and looked Yuffie's way. "She can defend them both. They'll be back soon enough..."  
  
"Barret," Shera began, "Monsters come out at night... Her gloves won't be enough..."  
  
~*~  
  
"Tifa!!!" Cloud called out. He'd been through the whole field already. The Highwind, the last place he would check, was up ahead. Cloud ran toward it.  
  
The ladder was down. Cid always rolled it up when the party left the ship. So, Tifa was very likely to be on the Highwind... Cloud rushed up the ladder and ran though the ship.  
  
"Tifa?!" Cloud breathed heavily. He searched through the next few rooms. Tifa's and Yuffie's bedroom was empty, as was Barret's. Tifa wasn't in any of the bedrooms. Cloud walked onto the deck. It was completely dark, except for the moon shining above. He neared the rail and leaned on it, staring at the moon.  
  
"Tifa, where are you...?" A tear slipped down his cheek. She was probably lost out in the field, maybe hurt...  
  
A soft sob came from the corner. Cloud abruptly turned its way. A shadow was hunched over in the darkness.  
  
"...Tifa." He walked over and sat beside her. Her face was covered in tears, eyes red from crying. Tifa looked up and smiled softly.  
  
"Why did you run off?" Cloud asked, touching her shoulder gently.  
  
"I... I felt something... De`ja` vu. The arrow looked so familiar, so threatening. I was scared..." Fear lingered on Tifa's voice. She shook slightly. "I don't know what it is. My feelings are so messed up..."  
  
"...Tifa, let's head back." Cloud stood and extended his right hand to Tifa. He pulled her up and the two walked from the deck.  
  
"Were you searching for me?" Tifa asked, glancing over to Cloud as she walked.  
  
"Yeah... I had to search the field through, then went onto the airship."  
  
"...Thanks."  
  
The two walked outside, off the Highwind. They headed through the field. A soft light shone in the distance, toward the city. Cloud smiled.  
  
'Obviously the Cosmo Candle...'  
  
Suddenly a Heg jumped out at them. Tifa stepped back, startled.  
  
"I don't have my weapon..." Cloud swallowed. Four other Hegs stepped out of the shadows.  
  
"I'll use my gloves!" Tifa whispered, walking forward.  
  
"What do I do?!"  
  
"Just stay put."  
  
"I can't let you battle alone!"  
  
"...We won't win anyway... We're ambushed, Cloud."  
  
Three more Hegs appeared.  
  
~*~  
  
Um... Cliffhanger... I think. O.o Anyway, continue reviewing and I'll get to posting soon... 


	8. Chapter VII : A Savior

Welcome back~! Alright, I suck at battle scenes... But I gave effort, kay? And I'm not exactly sure that you can encounter Hegs outside Cosmo Canyon, since it's been a while since I played. You can see them in Gi Cave, though, so whatever...  
  
And to warn you, there are just a few original characters in here. But I promise that they won't be a big part of the story at all and will disappear soon. So if you hate originals, just don't run screaming from this fic, cause they're not gonna be major characters.  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER VII ~ A SAVIOR }  
  
Tifa stepped back from the Hegs and her back crashed into Cloud's. She fell to the ground and looked up helplessly. "We're trapped..."  
  
Cloud swallowed. He looked directly at the creatures, battling down their gazes. "Fight them. I'll try kicking at them."  
  
Tifa stood and nodded. She leapt at the closest Heg and kicked it down. Cloud, meanwhile, stepped before another. He fought them, making do with just his hands. As others neared closer, it appeared that there was a never ending sea...  
  
"Alright... I have to..." Tifa glanced back at Cloud, looking for approval.  
  
"No! Don't waste your energy!! There are gonna be more..."  
  
"I'm already losing my energy... So I might as well use up the rest. BEAT RUSH!!!"  
  
Light engulfed Tifa as she hit the Hegs. "SOMERSAULT! WATERKICK! METEODRIVE!!" She continued to give it her all as the field lit up. Hegs fell to the ground, yet their numbers didn't seem to lessen. The field burst into vivid color as Tifa made one final strike. "METEOR STRIKE!..."  
  
Her strength was gone. Final Heaven was out of the question. She collapsed. "I'm done... I can't fight anymore..."  
  
Cloud looked over to her and bit his lip. What now? A Heg was gaining up on him, ready to attack at any moment.  
  
A silver object suddenly flew into the Heg before him. The object sliced into the creature, blood spraying everywhere. It flew back into the direction it came from, directly into the hands of the owner.  
  
Tifa and Cloud followed its path to a dark figure standing on the other side of the field. Swiftly, the person appeared beside them. Only their black ninja-like outfit, a black scarf around the neck, a curvy female body, and taunting lips formed into a smile were visible.  
  
"Yuffie?" Tifa whispered. It was the first name that came to mind, though she knew for sure that it wasn't Yuffie... The silver object that the person held was a shuriken, but they had thrown it in only the way an expert could. And Yuffie wasn't as skilled with her weapon.  
  
The woman shook her head. "Kirin." The single word came from her lips as they became firm and the smile disappeared. A mask covered her eyes, and most of her face. She pushed it away to reveal emerald green irises.  
  
"Thanks for saving us..." Cloud brushed himself off and his gaze went back to the woman's.  
  
"It's alright. I was just walking by. I guess you're lucky I was here. Looks like you have no weapon." Kirin grinned again. Tifa could see that her eyes had just changed to a rare sapphire blue, with green sparks still remaining.  
  
"Your eyes change color," Tifa pointed out.  
  
"Yeah... Um... It's common with ninjas," Kirin informed, shifting nervously. Tifa was ready to ask if she was from Wutai, but Kirin interrupted.  
  
"I have to get going... But you two are heading to Cosmo Canyon, right?"  
  
Tifa nodded. "How did you know?"  
  
"...Well, this field leads straight there and nowhere else." Kirin smiled gently, once again acting as if she was hiding something. "Take this." Kirin tossed a small package to Tifa and Cloud. Cloud caught it and unwrapped it, revealing a set of throwing stars. "It'll come in handy."  
  
Tifa was about to say her thanks, but Kirin ran off quickly, the black scarf tied around her neck flying behind. Tifa raised an eyebrow and turned back to Cloud.  
  
"'Good fortune', eh?" She laughed softly and looked up at the sky. It was dark violet and blue, showing that the time was around midnight.  
  
"Let's head back." Cloud began to walk toward the dim city in the distance. Tifa followed.  
  
~*~  
  
"Where were you?" Barret's voice called from the distance. Cloud and Tifa had finally made their way back, encountering a few battles along the way. Kirin was right, the stars did prove useful. As they had thought, the party was sitting around Cosmo Candle, waiting for them. The two made their way to the fire.  
  
"I was at the Highwind... I just wanted time alone." Everyone nodded solemnly as Tifa continued. "Cloud came and got me, but we got attacked on the way back..."  
  
"Some ninja woman named Kirin helped us." Cloud turned to Yuffie. "Do you know her?"  
  
Yuffie raised and eyebrow. "No... I've never heard of her. How old was she?"  
  
"Around 25, from what we could see."  
  
"...Ninjas stopped leaving Wutai 30 years ago." Everyone fell silent. "The children started training in martial arts about that time... I got to be the last ninja, though, since I'm Godo's daughter... And besides, you can only train to become a ninja at 12 years of age. She couldn't have been from Wutai."  
  
Tifa glanced at the planetarium, a distance away. She wondered where Bugenhagen would make them sleep. It was already past midnight...  
  
"We should all go to sleep," Red XIII said, glancing at Tifa. "Grandpa will probably have our beds ready."  
  
The party put out the fire and headed into the planetarium. Bugenhagen stood inside, working with something. He turned to the party as he heard their footsteps.  
  
"I guess you'll all be sleeping here tonight," he said, a weak smile forming on his face. Red XIII nodded. "But... I have only 3 beds. Travelers don't stop by often.  
  
Everyone glanced at each other. The same thought ran through each person's mind.  
  
"We'll just sleep on the Highwind, Grandpa." Red XIII turned and headed for the door.  
  
"Wait!" Bugenhagen called, "You're guests here. Just fill the beds, and everyone else can go to Shildra Inn."  
  
"That place was owned by ShinRa." Cloud gritted his teeth.  
  
"It WAS. But now, an old couple and their son live there. They rent out rooms," Bugenhagen informed.  
  
"I guess I'll be on the floor," Cait Sith said.  
  
"So will I." Red glanced at everyone else.  
  
"...I'm gettin' my own bed." Barret walked into Bugenhagen's mini-inn and flopped onto a bed. Barret filled the whole bed, no room remaining. He went to sleep as the others were left to make decisions.  
  
"Alright... We can share beds," Shera suggested. She and Cid grabbed one.  
  
An unamused look crossed Tifa's face. Now she, Cloud, Yuffie, and Vincent were left. With one bed. 'Wonder what's gonna happen,' she thought, pissed off at the likely conclusion--sharing. Ugh.  
  
"I'll go to the inn to see if they have any rooms." Yuffie ran outside and toward her destination.  
  
Tifa sat on the edge of one of the beds. Bugenhagen seemed to go against them. He seemed to want them to share beds and all be uncomfortable. She yawned and leaned back, directing her eyes at the ceiling. Tifa closed them softly. She was so tired... Sleep overcame as she shifted into a more comfortable position.  
  
~*~  
  
Yuffie walked into the small shack and glanced around. Things hadn't changed much since she was last here, when the party was on their journey. Yuffie walked up to the young man sitting at the desk. 'I thought a couple of elderly people lived here...' Yuffie thought, recalling Cid's thoughts.  
  
"Do you have any rooms available?" she questioned, leaning onto the desk and staring at the man. He didn't look a lot older than her, maybe only by 2 years.  
  
A blue eye glared back at her, the other covered by his black hair. A cocky smile formed on his face. "Yeah. Come in right away."  
  
"I have to go get my friends." Yuffie turned and headed for the door, but the man grabbed her by the neck.  
  
Pulling her back, he whispered, "You don't need them anymore."  
  
Yuffie gritted her teeth as the man pressed his hand over her mouth. His other hand reached for a gun that was now visibly attached to his belt. One word came into Yuffie's mind, and there was NO WAY that she would let it happen. Yuffie fought to spin around, but his grip was too tight.  
  
"I know who you are," he said ferociously. "You're one of those heroes. You think you've won, haven't you? We'll never give up. ShinRa will dominate!" He took his hand from her mouth and moved it to her waist, keeping a tight hold. He began to take apart parts of his gun, probably to fill it with a load of ammo.  
  
Yuffie looked out of the corner of her eye and realized that he was clad in a blue outfit. Her eyes quickly darted to the gun in his hand and she inwardly relaxed. He wanted to kill her, not rape her. The thought of death was much more soothing than rape.  
  
...Kill? She screamed.  
  
~*~  
  
Heh... Hope this chapter wasn't too weird. ^^;; Sorry for the cliché ending, I know it's used all the time. I just HAD to have another crappy cliffhanger... Anyway, I read everyone's reviews and truly appreciate each one... So pleeease support me and review? ^_^  
  
And Kirin is the name of the Japanese mythological dragon that brings good fortune... O.o 


	9. Chapter VIII : Memories

Welcome to Chapter VIII! ^_^ I'm really sorry that this took a while to post, I know people have been waiting...   
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER VIII ~ MEMORIES }  
  
Vincent yawned helplessly. Cloud glanced over, surprised. "Finally acting human?"  
  
"Shut up." Vincent glared at Cloud from across the room. Cid, Shera, and Barret were already asleep. Tifa was resting on her bed, probably half- asleep. And Yuffie had left minutes ago to check for rooms at the inn. Vincent was clearly bored. He didn't feel like going to sleep at the moment, as he almost never slept. There was nothing to do in a bland city like this at night, and no options were left. Maybe he would go stroll around the field and battle for a while...  
  
A scream pierced the silence. A harsh female scream that sounded almost too familiar. It was immediately cut off. Vincent's eyes darted to Cloud's.  
  
"Yuffie." Vincent stood and grabbed his gun from his holster. His eyes lowered and he ran for the door, not bothering to wait for Cloud.  
  
~*~  
  
The man clamped his hand over Yuffie's mouth again. "Shut up!" he hissed, spitting at her face.  
  
'Well, I probably screamed loud enough...' Yuffie thought, trying to calm down. Her friend were coming. Or at least someone else was. She was sure.  
  
He pulled out a knife and held it before her face. Another knife fell from his jacket and to the ground. He ignored it and kept the one in his hand still at her face. 'How many weapons does he have?' her mind screamed.  
  
"Consider it revenge for messing with the ShinRa." He smirked and brought the knife closer to Yuffie's face, but she realized the next step and darted away from the weapon. It struck her on the lip and blood sprayed out. At least the knife missed it's target, the center of her face... But the wound hurt like hell.  
  
Yuffie pushed the man away and fell to the ground. "Bastard," she hissed, "What did I do to you?"  
  
The door burst open and Vincent ran in, his boots hitting the ground rapidly. He stopped before the desk, hair flying around his face messily. Vincent held his gun to the man's temple and his firey red eyes burned into the opponent's.  
  
Cloud rushed into the inn behind Vincent, his Ultima Sword in hand. He ran to Yuffie's side. The man smiled as an old man and woman ran into the room.  
  
"Akuma!" the woman yelled. She stumbled over, tears covering her face. "What happened?"  
  
"I'm not your son." The man's lips twisted into a smile. "I killed him."  
  
The man and woman stepped back, crying. They fled from the house. The man smirked yet again and leaned down next to Yuffie. Cloud protectively shielded her with his sword.  
  
"Get the hell away from her." Cloud glared into the man's eyes, trying to distract him, to lead him away. No use. The bastard stared at Yuffie with his midnight eyes. Yuffie helplessly lowered her eyes to the ground as tears escaped her eyes. Blood dripped from her lip, some left dried on her chin.  
  
That was it. Surges of emotion hit at Vincent's head. Fear, jealousy, hatred. He aimed, and though his hand shook, swiftly shot. The thunder-like boom of the Death Penalty rang in the air immediately and the man collapsed to the ground, red mixing into blue.  
  
Vincent lowered his weapon. Yuffie looked up. The blood on her lip had dried, but a large scar was there and it would probably remain. She smiled softly and rose to her feet.  
  
"He's a Turk..." she said, looking down at the bloody mess on the ground. "I'm sorry." She glanced back at her friends.  
  
Vincent looked at her for a moment, then turned away immediately. "It's not your fault. He deserved what he got, the ShinRa is dead for good now." Vincent turned, his cape flying behind him. In a state of akwardness, he left the inn. Cloud and Yuffie followed, staying behind.  
  
"So, the rest of us will stay at the Highwind?" Yuffie asked. Cloud nodded. He was still shaken up from what just happened, but they all were. The three walked into the planetarium. Everyone was asleep.  
  
"Vincent and I will go sleep on the Highwind. Take the last bed." Yuffie nodded at Cloud's orders and watched the two as they headed out. Once they were a distance from the planetarium, she walked into the small bathroom and stared at her face in the mirror.  
  
The scar was there. It hurt when she received it, but now... Yuffie didn't care any more. She ran a finger over the dried garnet blood and tried to scratch it off. As that proved useless, Yuffie leaned toward the sink and turning on the water, ran it over her lips. Once her face was clean, she looked at her reflection again.  
  
Yuffie suddenly liked the scar. It made her look beautiful... At least pretty. With her stormy silver-grey eyes, the scar made her appear ferocious. As if she had trained hard and it was a battle wound. Yuffie ran her finger over it one last time, and then walked back to the mini-inn. She collapsed onto the remaining bed and stared up at the crumbling ceiling as thoughts streamed into her mind.  
  
'Why... Why did Vincent come in first? So many things could have happened. Maybe Cloud told him to run ahead. Or maybe Vincent just heard me first. And maybe...' Yuffie smiled. A feeling of being protected, being...loved overcame her. She closed her eyes and went to sleep.  
  
~*~  
  
"What happened back there?" Cloud asked, his moody gaze meeting with Vincent's dark one.  
  
"Yuffie was about to get hurt. So I stepped in and helped her fight." Vincent looked back at Cloud. No, he glared. 'Why does he care?' Vincent thought, keeping his eyes straight.  
  
Cloud continued to walk through the dark, silent field. It was too gloomy, even for a person like him. Cloud glanced back at Vincent. "I mean, why did you want to save her all of a sudden?"  
  
Vincent kept silent. He shifted his eyes to the path ahead, hoping that Cloud would just drop the subject. He himself didn't know why emotions suddenly ran to his head. And he definitely didn't feel like explaining anything to Cloud.  
  
Cloud didn't say anything else. He wanted to burst out laughing, but when you're laughing at a guy with a gun called the 'Death Penalty', there's a small chance of getting hurt.  
  
~*~  
  
CRASH! A sudden noise startled Tifa out of her sleep. Her eyes flew open and she pushed herself up out of the bed. Her red irises darted around, searching for the source of the sound.  
  
Tifa's gaze landed on a knocked over chair in the corner and Cid's figure standing over it. He cursed softly and kicked at the chair.  
  
"What happened?" Tifa whispered.  
  
"I sorta ran into this chair. I was just heading over to the Highwind, since Shera tosses too much." Cid turned and headed for the door, another string of curses following.  
  
"You can take my bed. I don't mind," Tifa called after him. She stood up. Cid flashed her a grin and said his thanks as Tifa walked outside.  
  
The sky was completely black, like a neverending void. Stars were scattered out like grains of sand. Tifa headed for the outskirts of the city. She walked through the silent field, keeping her eyes focused on the Highwind in the distance.  
  
Tonight, the stars weren't glowing. Tifa noticed that they would usually shine a light green and make the sky much cheerier. But tonight... Something bad would happen. Tifa shivered and started to run. Pat, pat, pat. Her boots lifted dust around her and small storms erupted. All that mattered was getting to the airship.  
  
A feeling overcame Tifa, as if something was behind her. She sprinted forward. More dust flew about. Tifa thanked her years of training as her long, steady legs flew toward the Highwind. She made it over and quickly climbed the ladder, tying it up securely.  
  
Tifa then realized that the ladder was down when she reached the Highwind. 'Some of the party members must have gone up here to sleep,' Tifa thought, 'But why? Shouldn't the inn be open?' Tifa walked across the deck and headed toward the room that she and Yuffie shared. She lay down on her bed and relaxed. The sheets were cold, yet soft. Tifa fluffed up her pillow and giggled softly as a flurry of feathers surrounded her. She reached down to the floor to pick up some of the mess. And she noticed it. The photo.  
  
"How did this get here?" Tifa murmured as she picked it up. It was an old, partly torn photo that was taken a year ago. Nearly everyone was shown in it, before the Gold Saucer. Even Aeris was in it. It was the first night that they had all been there together. A tear slipped from the corner of Tifa's eye as she remembered that night...  
  
~*~  
  
"Here, let me take a photo of you all!" Yuffie called. She grinned mischievously and held up the cheap camera she bought at one of the machines.  
  
"Get into the photo," Aeris teased, "You have to be tortured just like we do!"  
  
"But who will take the photo if I'm in it?" Yuffie whined. Someone tore the camera from her hands. That prized 2 Gil camera, that she bought with her own hard-earned money. Someone just grabbed away from her! Yuffie turned to hit whomever was stealing her cheap junk and ended up with a face full of black leather.  
  
"I don't mind taking the photo," Vincent said, his cold tone annoying the hell out of Yuffie. She fumed but turned and stomped over to the rest of the group. Vincent fumbled with the camera and held it up. A single white flash lingered for a second, exactly the kind you'd get from a 2 Gil camera.  
  
The photo turned out portraying everyone in the way they were usually posed. Cid with a cigar in his mouth, Barret just standing there, his gun raised, Yuffie giving someone bunny ears--it was Aeris in this case, Red XIII lying on the ground with his head resting on crossed arms, Cloud leaning on the wall with a frown on his face, Aeris hovering over his shoulder and smiling that way-too-perfect smile, and Tifa... Tifa stood behind them all, a weak smile on her face, hardly showing up in the photo. As usual.  
  
"Okay, let's get going." Cloud stomped off before anyone could annoy his ass off. Before Yuffie could annoy his ass off, to be precise.  
  
~*~  
  
Tifa smiled. It was a faint memory, but she loved that moment. Mainly because she was hardly in the photo. She wouldn't have kept it if she was the center of attention. Tifa loved the way that you could only see her soft red eyes shining in the background, nothing more. Everyone else was more important. More beautiful. Simply put, better than her. They deserved more. So of course, they were featured in the photo. And not her.  
  
Tifa placed the photo into its original spot, inside her dresser, buried under mounds of clothes so no one could find it. Tifa picked up the feathers that had previously flown from her bed and gathered them on top of the dresser. As she closed her eyes to sleep, her other senses came into focus. Footsteps.  
  
Tifa's eyes flew open. Now she couldn't hear them... Again she closed her eyes and the faint sound of footsteps came back. She kept her eyes shut tight and pulled her covers over her head. Whoever it was... It wasn't one of her friends. She could sense someone new.  
  
~*~  
  
Please review!! The more reviews I get, the faster the next chapter will come!! ^^ 


	10. Chapter IX : Deja Vu

Welcome back~!  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER IX ~ DE`JA` VU }  
  
Heat surrounded her, though she was shivering. The covers hardly served as a shelter from the demon outside. The footsteps grew louder by the minute, step, step, STEP! As if she was possessed by something, Tifa couldn't tell what was going on around her. The footsteps went in a pattern. Nearing closer to her room. Like a small child, she was helpless and scared.  
  
And suddenly, they stopped. Tifa's supposed conciousness returned. Her fear dissolved and she drew the covers away. Her eyes were still shut tight, her other senses searching for intruders.  
  
...Nothing.  
  
She didn't hear anything else. Silence was all that was there. Tifa opened her eyes and looked around. She realized how bad her eyes hurt. Maybe she was just sleepy. Maybe just a little shaken up. And maybe she had been concentrating so hard on using her hearing that her eyes were damaged... She stood from her bed and walked outside of her room, looking for the source of the footsteps.  
  
And she crashed straight into Cloud. "What are you doing here?" he asked at the same time that she did.  
  
"I was just going out on the dock to get some air," Cloud told her. "You?"  
  
"Cid awoke me. He was heading over here, so I let him have my bed," Tifa responded.  
  
"Being nice to everyone, as usual?" Cloud smiled softly.  
  
'He noticed...that I'm trying to be kind?' Tifa was surprised. More than surprised, she was shocked. She was used to being left in the shadows. She'd had the attention when she was a child, and now it was time to let others be noticed.  
  
"I heard footsteps a minute ago. I was just looking for who was walking around," Tifa told him, changing the subject. She didn't feel comfortable talking about the previous. "But I can tell that those footsteps weren't yours... I sensed something... Like they were inhuman."  
  
'Nice job, Tifa. He thinks you're crazy.' Tifa turned away.  
  
Cloud nodded, though Tifa's back was turned. He didn't know what to say, not even what to think. "Go back to sleep. We're gonna head out tomorrow morning."  
  
Tifa nodded. She walked back into her room and shut the door. And suddenly, Cloud was worried. What just happened?  
  
~*~  
  
Vincent strolled quietly through the airship, making his way to the exit. He jumped from the dock, the ladder brushing by his feet. His feet softly hit the ground, dust gathering around. Vincent walked back to Cosmo Canyon.  
  
Something bothered him. It was that Turk. Vincent wanted to see his face. He had focused on glaring into his eyes when they fought, but never took a look at his other features. Suddenly, he had to see!  
  
The light patter of his footsteps appeared in the silent town as Vincent headed for the Inn. He walked inside and immediately recognized the heap of blue and red lying on the ground. The Turk's outfit, drenched in blood. Vincent kicked at the body. He took the Turk's left hand and began to drag him out of the Inn. A trail of blood followed behind.  
  
Vincent sighed as he looked back. Most people would find the blood disgusting and leave someone who supposedly doesn't have feelings or emotions--someone like Vincent himself--to clean the mess. Yet in truth, he hated the red substance. It was awful and torturous to look at, and he just couldn't tolerate it.  
  
But there it was. And no one else would clean it up. Another sigh escaped Vincent as he continued to walk. What would he do with this body? Just dump it in the middle of the field? It was useless now, simply a lifeless pile.  
  
Clank! A shrill sound interrupted Vincent's thoughts. His eyes focused and made him aware that he was now in the middle of the dark field outside Cosmo Canyon. He turned to the source of the sound and saw that something had fallen from the body of the Turk.  
  
Vincent reached over to pick up the object and discovered that it was a simple chain with a dog tag attached. Interesting... The Turk was obviously wearing it, which meant that he did a little battling when younger. But even more interesting was the name engraved on the back. "Ashi".  
  
It sounded so familiar... But Vincent just couldn't remember where he'd heard the name. He threw the Turk's body into the shadows and turned on his heel, ready to head back.  
  
As ironical as it may seem, Yuffie stood there. She smiled that annoying, childish way. "What are you doing?" She didn't seem to even notice the body.  
  
"Nothing," Vincent growled, "Get back to Bugenhagen's." Vincent pushed her out of the way and walked forward. Yuffie was hurt. She gritted her teeth and ran to his side.  
  
"I wanna know," she whispered, "why you came to help save me."  
  
Vincent stopped abruptly and pushed the bangs out of his eyes. A firm expression on his face, he turned to Yuffie. "The Turk looked familiar to me. He looked like someone I hated a lot." Well, it was partly true. That name on the dog tag sounded familiar.  
  
"Hey, that's no reason to kill a person you don't know! Maybe that guy and the one you hated weren't the same person!" Yuffie hissed. Her eyes stormed and glared into the firey pupils across from hers.  
  
"He was hurting you, wasn't he? That's reason enough." A slight pause came from Vincent. But he just HAD to add more. "I mean, if a party member is in danger, we must all help out.  
  
She wouldn't get a clear answer out of Vincent, she could tell. Yuffie dragged behind, keeping her distance from Vincent. She sulked silently, wishing he would just grow up.  
  
~*~ 


	11. Chapter X : Aishiteru

Here is Ch. 10. From now on, I'll probably be posting chapters up every Friday or Saturday at midnight. I might post earlier though, depending on how much time I have. ^^;; My brother sorta gets into my files if he sees them, so I have to type at night... o.O  
  
One more thing, there's a scene in which I'll show what happens to all the characters in the Gold Saucer during this chapter. I don't show what happens to Barret, Cait Sith, and Red XIII cause of course, this is a romance which doesn't focus on them. -_-;; Sorry! I'm not too good with their POVs either...  
  
Person with a space as their name; Um, hi! Thanks for the reviews you gave me, I noticed that you've been keeping up with this fic. ^_^ I sorta wish I knew who you were so I could go read your fics... But if you wanna keep anonymous, it's okay... ^^;;  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER X ~ AISHITERU }  
  
Birds flew by, just swift streaks of blue. The leaves of every tree waved softly in the wind. It was morning. 'Yesterday was so shaky,' Tifa thought, 'But today is a new day...'  
  
The party stood outside the lab, Bugenhagen beside them. "Take care," he told Red XIII, smiling softly.  
  
Red XIII waved his paw in an adorable manner and turned around. He led the party out of the city.  
  
"Red... Do you think Bugenhagen was acting strange?" Tifa asked as the team walked.  
  
"No. Why?"  
  
"I just... Kinda felt like something was different." Nearly the whole party turned to look at Tifa. Confused expressions graced their faces. "...Never mind," she whispered. She felt something weird about Bugenhangen, but if no one would listen to her, she wouldn't bother explaining things...  
  
~*~  
  
'Tifa.'  
  
'You again?'  
  
'Yes, it's me. Listen!'  
  
'What do you want?'  
  
'They're drawing near. Beware, the Arrow will shoot.'  
  
'What are you talking about?'  
  
'You'll know when the time comes... Just watch out. I'll be here, protecting you and the others, always.'  
  
'Wait! Don't go! Who are you...?'  
  
~*~  
  
Tifa awoke abruptly again, drenched in sweat. Her pillow was on the ground. She threw it down in the middle of her dream, apparently... She leaned back and closed her eyes. Her dream was nearly the same as before. A swift noise, a child's crying. But this time, as the familiar voice approached with a warning, Tifa could actually talk to it.  
  
It was as if she wasn't supposed to know who the one trying to contact her was. But then what was the point of even trying to reach the voice? Tifa leaned over to glance at her alarm clock. 7:30, almost time to get up. She remembered suddenly...  
  
Today, the party was heading to the Gold Saucer. They would enjoy the whole day and then, everyone would separate... Most likely forever. Tifa leaned back, buried her face in the covers, and cried.  
  
~*~  
  
"We should all walk around with partners so we don't get lost. The Gold Saucer is a big place, and we haven't been here in a while." Cid grinned and grabbed Shera. They were back at the Gold Saucer, obviously. It was midday and they would stay til midnight.  
  
Vincent glared at him coldly. "I really wish you'd quit doing that. Now we're left to decide who goes with who amongst ourselves. Yet again."  
  
"We can always take the same partners we had back in Cosmo Canyon," Tifa suggested. She hoped with her heart that Cloud would go with her again. Last night, she had decided something... She would never see Cloud again. This was her chance. She would tell him she loved him, and leave it at that. Tifa knew she couldn't live with coped up emotions. It would bother her for the rest of her life if she didn't get rid of this annoyance now... Even if Cloud didn't care...  
  
Cloud looked at her and smiled. "Great idea." Tifa raised and eyebrow but quickly smiled in return.  
  
"No! I wanna go with Tifa!" Yuffie whined. She was stuck with Vincent, again. What was this now? The hundredth time?  
  
"Don't be childish," Vincent said in monotone.  
  
Yuffie was ready to pout again, as she suddenly noticed something that caught interest in the corner of the Gold Saucer. "I'll be right back..." She pranced off, a smirk on her face.  
  
"I wanna go to the Chocobo Races first," Cid told Shera. "I have something to show you." He took her hand in a knightly fashion and the two headed for the Chocobo Section.  
  
"Hey, don't leave yet!" Yuffie stumbled over, clutching something, a devilish grin on her face. "Look what I have!!"  
  
That did it. This was supposed to be a perfect, fun day. Yuffie just ruined everything! Cloud rushed to her and grabbed the cheap camera she held. "Don't you dare."  
  
"One photo! Pleeease!!" Yuffie cried, falling to Cloud's knees. She was literally about to kiss his feet as he threw the camera down.  
  
"...Fine... But I won't be in it."  
  
"Yes you will!" Yuffie grabbed Cloud and pushed him into Barret. Barret took a hold of his collar, pulled him to the rest of the group, and waited as Yuffie snapped the photo.  
  
Cloud looked pissed off and annoyed, as if he'd kill Yuffie after this. Vincent was in a photograph for once. A careless frown on his face, right hand set on the gun at his holster. That was the only difference in this photo from the one taken during the last trip. Except of course, Aeris and Yuffie weren't in the photo. Once again, Tifa stood in the most shadowy part... Once again, unnoticed tears saturated the corners of her eyes, concealed for such a long time...  
  
~*~  
  
Cid pulled Shera through the crowd of the Chocobo Racing area and up to a golden chocobo in the center. He grinned softly. "This one's mine."  
  
"It's beautiful..." Shera could easily tell that this was a specially bred chocobo that took a long time to train. Its soft gold fur gleamed as the light caught the streaks, large blue eyes stared up at Shera with curiosity. A single red band with a silver bell was tied to the chocobo's neck.  
  
Cid suddenly picked up Shera and placed her onto the chocobo. "H-hey... What are you doing?! I'm pregnant!" She hissed, struggling to get off.  
  
"It's easy. You just lean to whichever side you want the chocobo to go, and pick up the pace by kicking its sides." Cid's eyes gleamed in satisfaction as he ran off into the crowd. "Good luck!"  
  
Shera shut her eyes. 'I'm gonna KILL him!' she thought fiercely. She pulled on the chocobo's reigns and softly kicked at its thighs. The race began and the chocobo started off. It was a feeling like flying, so light and carefree. But as Shera opened her eyes, the feeling disappeared. She was again determined to kill Cid for ever getting her into this!  
  
The chocobo stopped abruptly. Shera nearly flew forward, but she grabbed the reigns just in time to pull herself back. The race was over already. The bird was obviously smart and well-trained enough to know how to steer itself. Cid ran over.  
  
"See, that wasn't hard."  
  
"Yes it was! DIE!" Shera dove at Cid but ended up falling into his arms.  
  
"Quit it. You'll make a scene," he whispered, pulling her upright. "You have to admit that racing was fun."  
  
"Yeah... That chocobo is well trained."  
  
"No wonder, I trained her myself. Her name's Shera." Cid pulled back the collar on the chocobo to reveal gold letters spelling out 'Shera'. "I've been training her for a year."  
  
"...Thanks..."  
  
~*~  
  
"Let's go to the Event Square!" Yuffie called, running ahead of Vincent. He trudged behind, pretending as if he didn't know Yuffie. "Come on, hurry!"  
  
Yuffie ran to the man standing by the door. A couple was in front of him and he was announcing something. "Congratulations! You're the 100th-"  
  
Yuffie growled. She grabbed Vincent's hand and pushed the couple out of the way. The man stared at Vincent with a confused look. "...Okay, you're the 100th couple!"  
  
Vincent lowered his head in embarrassment. What was next? Oh yes, the play. Just wonderful. Let's see, he would get to be the prince? Yuffie grinned and pulled him into the Square. The man led them backstage to dress as the play began.  
  
Vincent walked onscreen and nodded dumbly as the knight asked him a series of questions. Yuffie trudged on after a while. She was in a frilly pink dress that flew past her feet, covering all of her body. Vincent stiffened a laugh. The dress was much too large for her, as frills hung loosely over her arms. She walked forward, somewhat proud of her horrid attire. But the skirts at the bottom got caught in her legs and Yuffie fell forward...  
  
Guess where she landed.  
  
Vincent glared down at the pile of pink fluff that leaned into him. "Sorry, sorry..." Yuffie whispered, pulling herself up. She ran to the other side of the stage, lifting her skirts this time. The knight coughed, covering his laughter. Vincent glared at him as well, stopping the coughing fit right away.  
  
"Who will you kiss?" the knight asked, motioning toward the actors on the stage.  
  
No. This couldn't be happening! Vincent panicked. He wanted this to be over suddenly. What was he supposed to do now? Kiss the knight? Oh yeah, that would be great. Giving everyone something to talk about. "Hey, have you heard? Vincent's a shounen-ai! Guess he didn't like Lucrecia much after all."  
  
Kiss EDK for humor? Vincent couldn't ruin his reputation of the silent lonely guy. He NEVER laughed, much lest smiled. The slightest smile was a symbol of joy. Vincent was nowhere near that state. He had a hard past, and there was no point in ever changing it. He couldn't just run around making jokes and kissing monsters. 'Well, I might as well get this over with...'  
  
Vincent walked across the stage and stopped before Yuffie. As he brushed past her, he placed a swift kiss on her cheek.  
  
Yuffie froze. What the hell just happened? Vincent, kissing her? This was too weird. 'Am I misunderstanding things?' Yuffie thought in sheer confusion. She glanced Vincent's way. He was back in his previous position, but now his eyes were directed to the ground. His face was lowered, hair falling over the front so you couldn't see any expression.  
  
A soft smile suddenly formed on his face. 'I'm not imagining things. Vincent is -smiling-. ...Holy shit! He LIKES me!' Yuffie grabbed the edges of her dress and jumped off the stage, into the crowd. She ran for the exit. The last thing she saw, glancing back, was a flurry of red and black chasing after her.  
  
~*~  
  
"Beautiful, aren't they?"  
  
Tifa spun around to meet the voice. Cloud laughed at her astonishment. "I'm sorry I wandered off..." Tifa said, blushing slightly.  
  
"No problem. You didn't go far, at least. I would have killed myself if I'd lost you in such a big place." Cloud walked over beside Tifa and leaned on the rail. They stood outside the Gondola entrance, looking up at the stars that were scattered in the pure sky, and just waiting for the line to the ride to shorten.  
  
'He's talking to me as if I'm a child...' Tifa's hopes fell. She wanted to tell Cloud everything on the Gondola ride. But her ambition kept lowering. She looked up at the stars and realized that the feeling of wanting to die had returned.  
  
"Tifa? We can go on now." Cloud motioned toward a couple exiting the ride. Tifa nodded and followed him to into the Gondola. The ride began and the whole Gold Saucer appeared before their eyes.  
  
Tifa focused on staring out the window. She didn't want to look in Cloud's face, especially not at this moment. Maybe near the end of the ride she would admit her feelings. Tifa was never a person to put something off until the last minute... But right now, she just didn't have the courage.  
  
The Chocobo Racing area was shown and Tifa noticed Cid and Shera standing together with a gold chocobo, laughing and hugging each other. She smiled. Dreams of her and Cloud together like that flew into her mind. Impossible, but hopeful dreams...  
  
'Dreams are nothing. They're only in the way of reality,' Tifa suddenly assured herself, for once turning pessimistic. A frown formed on her face and she glanced away from Shera and Cid. But the Gondola had passed the Chocobo Racing section already anyway. Tifa looked back and glimpsed a pink form running by the Event Square. Leaning closer, she could see that it was Yuffie, slight tears covering her face.  
  
Tifa tried to look closer, but the scene shifted to the Wonder Square. Why was Yuffie crying? Oh well, the kid could figure things out by herself... She wasn't gonna rely on Tifa or anyone else for the rest of her life...Tifa looked over the Wonder Square and saw Vincent running through the place, his eyes searching the area.  
  
'He must be looking for Yuffie,' Tifa thought as she watched him crash into Barret, who was playing G-Bike with Red and Cait Sith watching. Barret pointed a direction and Vincent frantically ran that way. Tifa almost laughed, seeing him so worried. How...human. Tifa glanced at the small clock etched into the Gondola wall and realized that it was almost midnight. The ride started a few minutes ago and would end soon.  
  
"...Cloud..." Tifa turned to him, her eyes begging. He immediately directed his attention at her. "I've felt this way for a long time... Now, it's like I'm trapped in a never ending circle. And I'll never get out unless I'm set free. We'll never see each other again, probably, so I just wanted to say..."  
  
Cloud's eyes softened. "What is it?"  
  
12:00 PM. A single firework shot into the sky, spreading its crimson and silver sparks into the darkeness. It was followed by a group of others, all lighting the sky. But the darkness would never disappear anyway. The colors of the sparks would fade and the sky would once again become black.  
  
Like Tifa's heart, it was forever eclipsed with darkness. -Nothing- could ever take that darkness away, even if small bits of happiness, like the sparks of the fireworks, tried to change things.  
  
Then Tifa remembered. Night can disappear. And then, day follows and everything is new again, the sky is clear.  
  
"That I love you."  
  
~*~  
  
^___^ It's been fun writing this chapter. I finally put in all of Tifa's feelings and emotions! ...I think. O.o Well, if this chapter was good, please support my will to continue writing by reviewing! =D I hope everyone understood how the sky relates to Tifa in the last bit of this chapter. It was hard writing that. Anyway, enjoy the next chapter, it'll hopefully be up soon. 


	12. Chapter XI : Shattered Hope

=D If you're up to this chapter, you must actually like this fic! Thanks to all who reviewed and gave me encouragement, please continue to do so! Sorry for keeping you all waiting, I love cliffhangers though. O.o But the chapter's here now, so enjoy! And please, give it a chance. I know half of you will probably just quit reading right after you see the second paragraph, but keep reading the story... *beg* I'm not gonna leave it at this...  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER XI ~ SHATTERED HOPE }  
  
Cloud smiled. The light of the fireworks reflected off his face, making it glow in pastel colors. "I love you too, you know that."  
  
Tifa almost smiled back. She almost said something. -Almost.- Within a moment, she realized that Cloud was just a sadistic bastard who had no feelings or emotions whatsoever. He loved her because they were friends, companions on their journey. Nothing else. Yeah, she -knew that.- 'Congratulations,' she thought to herself, 'You're a total idiot!'  
  
Tifa wanted to disappear from this hell hole, to just be alone forever. Cloud had shattered everything she had, all her dreams and wishes. He practically told her, 'Wake up to reality. You're a hopeless bar maid who lives in the slums.'  
  
The Gondola neared to a stop. Tifa and Cloud walked off. She looked back at Cloud, then walked ahead, up to the rail. She stood there silently and stared at the stars. Tears suddenly crowded her face and she burst out crying.  
  
Cloud placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's not what you wanted me to say..."  
  
"Damn right, it's not!" Tifa hissed. She turned and raised a hand to slapped Cloud, but thought better of it. Tifa instead fell to the ground and wept into her hands. "You just ruined everything..."  
  
"I'm sorry," he whispered, crouching beside her. "But I can never learn to love anyone... It's too hard for me. How can I give affection if I've never felt it?"  
  
Tifa realized then, that he didn't care at all. He only thought about himself and money and would never love another human being. That's why no one except her loved him. Tifa was the optimist of the group, the one who never gave up on anything. Of course she'd be the one to fall in love with an idiot like Cloud. Hot tears stung her face and she looked down, hiding them from Cloud.  
  
"...I know that you love me in another way... But I just can't fall in love. Ever." Those words burned into her. That's the moment that Tifa decided that she would become a pessimist. She was too hurt to ever smile again. "Don't you understand?" he questioned.  
  
Without a word, Tifa nodded. Then she stood up and wiping the tears from her face, headed toward the Event Square. If there was only one person left in the world who would always want to be her friend, it was Yuffie. Cloud called her name, but she wouldn't turn back. Ever. A bitter, evil smile formed on her face.  
  
~*~  
  
"Yuffie, what's wrong?" Tifa asked, nearing the child. Yuffie had been running, but Tifa was wrong-she wasn't crying. She leaned on a wall behind the Wonder Square, a perfect hiding place.  
  
"I think..." Yuffie blushed. She pulled Tifa into the corner. "I think Vincent likes me."  
  
Tifa didn't know what to do now. She wanted to laugh at the thought of Vincent actually having a crush on a person. She wanted to ask if Yuffie had any alcohol tonight. She wanted to fall down and cry again, because even Yuffie had someone to lean on, in a way.  
  
Vincent suddenly ran over. He was clearly worn out from running, a rare sight. "Yuffie!"  
  
Tifa was angry now. Maybe she didn't have any friends left at all. "I'll just go now..." She turned and began to run, her destination being the Highwind. Vincent neared closer to Yuffie.  
  
"Why did you run off?" The cold, unwelcoming tone returned. And for a second, Yuffie had thought that he had grown up.  
  
Vincent could see that Yuffie was hesitating. He was starting to get impatient, and though he was very good at covering up his feelings, Vincent couldn't tolerate this. "Tell me already."  
  
"Okay," Yuffie gave in, "But don't laugh at me or anything..."  
  
'Vincent laughing, that would be a sight,' Yuffie thought, a smile creeping across her face. But she had seen him express enough emotions for a day. She gathered her courage into four small words.  
  
"Do you -like- me?"  
  
That shocked Vincent. But it was hard to tell, because he maintained that expressionless look on his face. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"You've been watching me all day yesterday... You didn't even complain when we got partnered together twice. And, well, you -kissed- me!" Yuffie lowered her head, but kept her eyes steady. "Looked like you were enjoying it too, seeing how you smiled and all."  
  
What Yuffie expected at the moment was plain silence. Then maybe footsteps, walking away from her. And what she heard was what she least expected.  
  
Laughter.  
  
A short, soft laugh that flowed beautifully. Something that just wouldn't be possible from Vincent. But he was actually laughing, showing an emotion. He noticed Yuffie's curious stare and stopped abruptly, blushing slightly.  
  
"Maybe I was smiling. But that really meant nothing." Vincent was clearly denying, but he continued shamelessly. "I must admit, the only emotion that I feel toward you is a protective love. You've become one of my best friends, and being the youngest member of the team, you need all of us to watch over you."  
  
"But I only see you watching over me... No one else pays attention to me."  
  
"Could that be because you're looking only at me?" Vincent emitted a small smile. "You'll see if you look closely. Everyone else cares too."  
  
Vincent turned on his heel and walked away, the smile remaining on his face. Yuffie slumped down to the ground and folded her hands over her knees. She tried to place this whole scene away into her memory. It was interesting, as well as... Nice. Maybe Yuffie was still confused over half the things that Vincent said to her. Maybe not all her questions had been answered. Maybe she felt too new to this concept of Vincent sharing his feelings with someone, and would never get used to it.  
  
But then why did Yuffie feel like she was flying?  
  
~*~  
  
Tifa ran across the Gold Saucer, heading for the exit. She hadn't been running for such a long time, but was already out of breath. Strange, she was -never- out of breath. Her years of martial arts training hadn't allowed weak points like that.  
  
She glanced around, her crimson irises darting from one person to the next. They landed on the door that led outside. Tifa pushed her way through the crowd and reached the door. She made her way out and breathed in the fresh night air. It was cold and warm at the same time, sending feelings of relaxation through her.  
  
Tifa started to sprint toward the Highwind, parked on the other end of the field. But it wasn't long before she simply stopped in the middle.  
  
"Stop following me!!" she hissed and turning, dived at the person behind her. It took moments for her to realize that she had tackled Cloud and was in a position that threatened to break his neck. Tifa let go of him, breathing heavily. She kicked him in the ankles, trying to prove her disrespect toward him, and started walking across the field again.  
  
"T-tifa..." Cloud gulped and stood up, shaky from her attack. He looked up at her with pleading eyes, though she didn't see, nor care. "Please...listen..."  
  
Tifa didn't stop walking. She kept her eyes set on the path like a mindless droid. At the moment, all she really wanted to do was fall beside Cloud and heal him with the few potions she carried, to tell him that she was sorry and everything would be alright as long as he was happy. But the selfishness in Tifa's head took over and told her to keep walking, never to look back.  
  
Cloud gathered his energy into one final attempt. "Firaga!" A circle of fire headed for Tifa, burning her feet and tripping her. She lay on the ground moments, her shoes ragged from the flames and her feet burned and bloody. She began to cry softly. The grass caught her tears, yet it was now turning bloody from her feet as well. Cloud dragged himself over to her and held his hand to Tifa's feet, muttering "Curaga." Green light surrounded her, some of the pain disappearing. But the tears remained. She refused to get up.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Cloud whispered, his voice hoarse and listless. He took Tifa up into his arms and placed his hands on her back, letting her tears soak his shirt. Tifa sobbed softly, uncontrollable tears flowing down. This time she couldn't let them stop, wouldn't let them stop.  
  
"W-why..." she whispered, leaning against him. The rest of the words were blocked by more tears and couldn't come out. What she wanted to ask Cloud was why he simply didn't care.  
  
"You know why, Tifa." He lifted her chin with one finger and stared at her. "But I don't want to disappoint you..."  
  
'Too late,' Tifa thought bitterly.  
  
"...How about... I make you another promise? I always keep my promises, and this time it won't be any different." Cloud smiled softly, and at that moment, the moonlight collided with his eyes, turning them a pale green Lifestream-like color. Tifa stared at his eyes intently, getting lost in the depth.  
  
"I promise that I will come back to you in one year..." Cloud directed his gaze at the dark sky, searching, hoping. "And I will be ready to fall in love."  
  
"...Do you mean that?"  
  
"Of course. Just remember what I promised you and the promise will become a reality."  
  
Tifa pulled herself away from Cloud and stood up, trying to keep her injured legs steady. She smiled at him and turned to walk. Not toward the Highwind, but toward the Gold Saucer. This time, Cloud followed.  
  
~*~  
  
-_-;; Kinda crappy, eh? Don't stop reading just because of the angst!!! ^^;; There's gonna be a lot of skipping around in the next few chapters; in fact, this is pretty much the beginning of 'Part II' of this fanfic. ^-^ It's where a lot of the romance and stuff will actually begin. Please bookmark this fic or something, I promise that I won't just leave it behind! And finally, review and encourage me! 


	13. Chapter XII : Second Chances

Welcome back! Glad to know that the next chapter wasn't so bad. ^^ Thanks for reviewing, everyone!  
  
Sarah; *sigh* I guess you're an example of the people who just don't give fics a chance... Yuffentine is one of the very main pairings in this fic, though. And who said this wasn't a Cloti?? It DEFINITELY is gonna be, if it isn't yet one. Relationships really do take time, and I tried to emphasize that, especially with the Cloti I put in this fic. I can understand why you won't read anymore, considering how awful things turned out in the last chapter. ^^;; But I have a lot of plans for this fic and the Cloti won't be let down. And who said that was the ending? O_o;; What the hell??  
  
Er, I really shouldn't have written that, considering that Sarah won't even be returning to read... O_o;; Well, whatever, just trying to make a point...  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER XII ~ SECOND CHANCES }  
  
Cherry blossoms were falling outside the window, marking the beginning of spring. So many memories... Tifa leaned against the wall and looked out, trying to remember every detail of the past year. A lot of things had happened, some negative, and some positive enough for her to move on.  
  
Tears were threatening to burst from Tifa's eyes, but she easily resisted. She hadn't cried since Cloud abandoned her a year ago. At that time, everyone had separated. The tension between Tifa and Cloud was especially rapid on the night that he left. That night, Tifa cried all the tears that she had left inside. Never again would she be able to cry...  
  
~*~  
  
(a/n: This is Tifa's flashback from a year ago, if you can't tell. It all takes place on the night that they were at the Gold Saucer in the previous chapter.)  
  
The pain ripped Tifa's heart apart. She stood there on the Highwind's dock, looking at Cloud's expressionless face, realizing that she would never see him again. It hurt more than ever. Cloud finally took his gaze off the sky and glanced at her, and Tifa could now see that he was fighting not to cry.  
  
"I... I hate you," she whispered harshly, the tears letting loose.  
  
Soft blue-green eyes were set on her firey eyes. "I promise, I'll be back... You won't hate me then..."  
  
"Yes I will. I'll always hate you."  
  
This burned Cloud visibly. He turned away and looked back up at the sky. It was all he could do to keep from crying.  
  
"I think I get it," Tifa challenged, "You still love Aeris, don't you? That's why you're always looking at the sky. You're searching for her."  
  
"...Things are too complex to let me explain. You wouldn't listen anyway." His words were dripping with denial of what Tifa had said, though he hadn't given her an answer.  
  
Tifa just glared at his back. She really did understand, but her stubbornness was all that showed. Tifa knew that Cloud didn't love Aeris in any way but a sisterly one, though it was very different in Aeris's perspective. Cloud really did try to keep himself separated from others; he had never loved anyone, and probably wouldn't for the rest of his life.  
  
Tifa trudged away from him, making her way to Cid's room. The pain was killing her, and Tifa knew that she wanted to just be -near- Cloud. She wished that things didn't have to change, that the whole party could just journey together forever. But it was time to move on, and memories were the only way to keep things preserved.  
  
"Cid? I wanted to tell you that I changed my mind... I don't want to go to Sector 7 anymore. Please just leave me at Nibelheim." Tifa knew that the best way to remember Cloud now was to stay in the place where they had grown up together.  
  
"Sure thing," Cid told her. Tifa flashed a slight smile and left the room. She headed to her room, where the tears simply poured out. Nothing was left, and it was time to start living in reality.  
  
~*~  
  
That had all been around a year ago. But right now, it was a warm May night in Nibelheim. Tifa walked away from the window and headed to the main room. When she returned to Nibelheim a year ago, her house was deserted. Everything was left as it was when Tifa's parents died and she moved out, but no one was there. Tifa immediately got to work on her house, arranging everything, making it fit for herself.  
  
The largest modification was the restaurant she added. The main room in her house was large enough to hold a few tables and chairs, as well as a bar counter. Many of the people in town helped Tifa build the restaurant, considering that she helped save the world. Out of hope and memory, Tifa named the restaurant 'Cloud Nine'. The past year, many people came to the restaurant, looking for one of the famous heroes who saved the world. But none of the people who walked in were the other heroes.  
  
Tifa walked into the restaurant room and turned on the light. Business had been great that day, as usual. Tifa made around 1000 gil a day, but most was spent on buying ingredients for the dishes she cooked. It was hard for a woman to keep a restaurant up by herself, but she managed.  
  
She got to work on sweeping the floors and spraying the counter. An hour passed before the tedious work was done. Every single night it was the same. Tifa walked upstairs to her room and collapsed on the bed. Another restless day gone, another restless one to come tomorrow.  
  
Tifa closed her eyes, and suddenly remembered. Tomorrow was different. Tomorrow was her birthday. But no one would be there to celebrate... With luck, Barret would stop by. Maybe. He was too busy with cleaning up Corel these days. A year passed, and yet the town was still trashed.  
  
She could only think of one other party member that could come congratulate her... And that, ironically, would be Red XIII. Then again, even he was busy, ruling Cosmo Canyon. It seemed that everyone had a kingdom to control. Barret was the mayor of Corel, Red was the chief of Cosmo Canyon, Reeve was quite obviously the new ShinRa president, Yuffie was the princess of Wutai... Cloud and Vincent were traveling together somewhere in the open fields below Wutai, and Shera and Cid were taking care of their young daughter, Sora, in Rocket Town. Yes, everyone was busy.  
  
Tifa fell asleep, trying to make herself forget about all that. Each day was filled with work, and there would never be time to waste on pointless things such as birthdays.  
  
~*~  
  
Yuffie sighed and propped herself up with her elbows. It was so boring in Wutai! Though she was the princess, she wasn't allowed to make laws, order people around, the such. Yuffie had to leave that up to Gorki, Shake, and the others. There truly was nothing to do now that the evil ShinRa was over with and the world had been saved.  
  
"Miss Yuffie, are you paying attention?" Staniv questioned. He stood before her, trying to point out ways to be a proper ruler. Every day it was the same; Staniv, Yuffie, a desk, and a chalkboard in a windowless room. "This is very important. You have to learn how to become a proper young lady!"  
  
"Shut up." Yuffie yawned and leaned her head on the table.  
  
Staniv nearly choked. "Miss Yuffie, don't make me-"  
  
"I'm allowed to do that," Yuffie interrupted, "I'm the princess. Remember? I have rights like that, ne?" She smiled smugly and closed her eyes.  
  
Staniv sighed heavily. "Incredible. Well, I expect that you're ready to learn when I get back. And I hope you finally realize that you need all of us to watch over you. We're only trying to support you in being a ruler." Staniv walked out of the room.  
  
'You need all of us to watch over you.' The phrase was stuck in Yuffie's mind, and she didn't know why. She opened the first shelf of the desk and rummaged through it. Pulling out a small square of paper, she swiftly crafted it into a cat. Of all the things that Staniv had taught her, origami was the only one that she liked.  
  
Yuffie set the cat down and stared at it for a moment. It looked back with blank white eyes. She laughed out loud, remembering how Vincent had always had that same emotionless expression on his face.  
  
Vincent...  
  
"You need all of us to watch over you."  
  
That's what he said to her. She felt so foolish when she realized that he didn't actually like her. It was as if she wanted him to say that he did...  
  
"Wonder what he's doing right now..." Yuffie said aloud. She glanced out the window that faced south. He was somewhere there... So close, yet not close enough...  
  
~*~  
  
Sparks flew from the stones that Vincent had rubbed together. He was attempting to light a fire to keep himself and Cloud warm for the night. As usual, they ran out of Magic Points from training too much. Cloud was sitting by the tent and just being the lazy-ass he always was and their two chocobos were tied to a tree stump beside the tent.  
  
Vincent sighed heavily and glanced up at the sky. What he would do right now to be in a house, in a warm bed. He was human too after all. Training was hard and pointless!  
  
"Hey Vincent..." Cloud turned to Vincent, a serious look on his face. "I have to get to Midgar right away."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Tomorrow is Tifa's birthday... I can't believe I just remembered. This is my chance to reverse all the wrong things I've done."  
  
"You won't be able to do that."  
  
"I know. But I can try." Cloud was silent. A pleading look came into his eyes. "Please, just let me."  
  
"I'm not stopping you. It's been great traveling together." Vincent grinded the stones together and a fire lifted. He climbed into the tent.  
  
Cloud smiled and stood. He grabbed his weapon and materia and mounted his chocobo.  
  
~*~  
  
A noise awoke Tifa. Rain, pelting on her roof. She stood up and made her way across the room through the darkness. Tifa reached the window and sat there for a moment, just staring out. She loved rain. It was like the tears of the gods and all the heavently bodies, crying for Gaia. The rain at the moment was bland and gray, unlike the usual violet rain that fell during cold nights.  
  
Tifa glanced at the clock on her wall. It was 6:00 in the morning. What an unusual time for rain... She walked back to her bed, but hesitated. What was the point of going back to sleep? She'd have to get up and start working soon anyway.  
  
Tifa headed to the main room and drew up the shades. The room remained dark, so she flicked on the lights. She got to work immediately, getting ingredients ready for food. She walked over to the door to unlock it for customers that came in early, when suddenly...  
  
A shifting noise rang out softy. Tifa raised an eyebrow and looked around. She could see that it didn't come from inside the room. Slowly she opened the door and someone fell before her, ragged and dirty, their attire wet with rain.  
  
"...Cloud?!"  
  
~*~ 


	14. Chapter XIII : Gifts

Lol, I sorta stuck a typo into the last chapter. Guess no one noticed, but Cloud said he had to get to Midgar right away, and Tifa lives in Nibelheim. O_o Anyway, I got rid of that, so whatever. Here's the next chaper. ^_^  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER XIII ~ GIFTS }  
  
Cloud fell to the ground before Tifa. "Happy birthday..." He fainted and Tifa crouched beside him.  
  
"Cloud... You came all this way just to wish me a happy birthday?" she whispered softly. Tifa examined his face. He hadn't changed at all from a year ago. Adorable blonde spikes of hair fell over his eyes, shadowing his face. A black cloak was tied to his shoulders with the old SOLDIER uniform underneath.  
  
She stood and headed to her kitchen. Minutes later, Tifa came back with a warm cup of tea to find Cloud awake again.  
  
"Are you alright?" She handed the cup of tea to him and sat down at one of the tables.  
  
Cloud smiled. "You haven't changed."  
  
"Neither have you. Why are you here, Cloud?"  
  
"Today's your birthday."  
  
"I didn't think you'd care. I still hate you, you know."  
  
Cloud looked hurt. Tifa realized what she'd just said and bit her lip. She gently motioned for him to come sit down.  
  
"Tifa... I guess I came because I needed one more chance. The stupidest thing I've ever done is when I turned you down last year. I just needed some time to get my life sorted out." Cloud sipped his tea and looked back at Tifa. His eyes turned hazed. "Please, will you let me try again?"  
  
Tifa knew he wasn't joking. He really did want to have a second chance. She wanted to hug him, she wanted so much just to say 'of course' and make everything perfect. But what you wanted wasn't what always turned out...  
  
"I'm sorry... I don't have any feelings for you anymore." She turned away, fighting the tears easily. She knew that Cloud was shattered behind her and that all his hope had just been sunk, like Tifa's was a year ago. And she tried to make it seem like she didn't care. She didn't want to see him when she turned around. Never again did she want to see him. She only wanted to be alone now, to cry out all the tears that had come back and to resume life in her endless cycle of loneliness.  
  
Cloud stood and placed the cup on the table. "I deserved that... I'm sorry that my earlier decisions had to lead to this... I guess this is goodbye again, Tifa." He stood up and headed for the door.  
  
A million voices suddenly tore at Tifa's mind. One shone above them all. 'Don't make the same mistake that he did.' She turned around abruptly.  
  
"Cloud!!!" Tifa ran toward him and tackled him in a hug. She pushed him to the ground, not letting him escape. "Don't go..."  
  
Cloud was surprised by her sudden outburst. He pulled her up. "What?"  
  
"I... I don't want you to leave."  
  
"But you hate me." He cocked his head to the side and smiled.  
  
Tifa frowned and hit his shoulder. "You know what? I think I will give you a second chance. You can help me work at the bar for six months. You can take use the spare room."  
  
"So if you fall in love with me again..."  
  
"Right. And if I don't, then you can leave."  
  
Cloud grinned. "Thanks, Tifa."  
  
Tifa wanted so much to express her feelings. This just may have been the best way. She didn't love him, nor did she hate him. But you couldn't leave an old friend behind in tears, even if he did that to her... Revenge was a sin.  
  
"There's a clothing store down the block. Go buy something." Tifa grabbed a handful of gil from her pocket and handed it to Cloud.  
  
"Oh yeah, before I forget..." Cloud pulled a small box out of his cloak and tossed it to her. He flashed a smile and walked out of the bar. She clutched the box to her heart as she watched him walk away.  
  
'Half a year... Expect the unexpected, Tifa...' The thought was sudden. It could mean something certain, it could mean nothing at all. Whatever. She would get to live with Cloud in her bar for a while, and maybe even hope would stop by.  
  
~*~  
  
Light rain fell. The sky was a pale gray and a few clouds were scattered around. Reeve walked through the streets, his eyes searching. They landed on the ShinRa Headquarters, his home. And the rumors of the travelers were true... Outside the building, at the door, stood three familiar people.  
  
One was actually sitting. She was on the ground, ignoring the rain and mud that dirtied her pure blonde hair. She stared at her fingers, which swept through the wet soil, drawing nothing in particular.  
  
The second stood near, his black sunglasses concealing the eyes that stared down at her. He leaned against the side of the HQ, the blue uniform visibly getting dusty from the wall.  
  
And the third was beside him, arrogant as usual. Spiky red bangs hung over his eyes. He looked directly ahead. Pushing the bangs out of his eyes, he began to walk forth toward Reeve, a curious expression on his face.  
  
"Reeve?" He stopped.  
  
"Reno. Rude, Elena." Reeve smiled at all of them. "What brings you here?"  
  
"What do you think?" Elena looked up, her brown eyes angry. "We've been out of jobs for a year. We can't survive on the streets forever. ShinRa is dead."  
  
"Not quite. I'm the new President. No evil this time."  
  
Rude looked up. "We know that. And we've come back."  
  
"Why do you say 'we' instead of 'I'?" Reeve questioned.  
  
"Cause we'll stick together, no matter what."  
  
Reeve wasn't surprised at the response. "Alright, I think I can help you." It wasn't every day that you went out for a morning walk, heard strange rumors going through town, and came back to find former enemies at your doorstep. Reeve sighed lightly. He walked into the building, the Turks trailing behind.  
  
~*~  
  
Rubies. Real rubies. Where did he get them? Did he really have enough money from all the training to buy such things? Tifa examined the shining red stones that graced her ears. She smiled in satisfaction. No one had ever given her any jewelry. Actually, she'd never really gotten anything valuable.  
  
A slam came from the main room. Tifa walked over. Cloud stood there, clad in a new outfit that was much too similar to his last. She giggled softly.  
  
"Nice, Cloud. By the way, where did you get the ruby earrings?"  
  
"It was something that I've wanted to give you for a while. When we saved the world, they were going to be a gift." Cloud shifted in embarrasement. "I never gave them to you cause I was shy. Well, consider them a birthday gift."  
  
Tifa laughed. "So, how did the townspeople react on seeing their famous savior in their hometown?"  
  
Cloud began to look nervous. "Well, actually... They're kind of all waiting outside the door right now..."  
  
Tifa raised an eyebrow. She rushed to the door and opened it to find crowds of customers waiting to get in. She motioned for them to come inside and turned to Cloud.  
  
"You'll have to help me serve these people. Thanks, Cloud, business is gonna bloom now that you're here!" She laughed in that adorable way and ran to the counter to start cooking.  
  
Cloud walked over to help her. She had no idea how much he loved that laugh. It was so sweet and carefree, and maybe now life would be perfect after all thanks to the beautiful sound.  
  
~*~  
  
Expect the unexpected, readers... ^_~ 


	15. Chapter XIV : Misunderstandings

Welcome back!! *hugz all the nice reviewers*  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER XIV ~ MISUNDERSTANDINGS }  
  
Tifa was overloaded with orders; since everyone in town saw that Cloud was there, they wanted to come and meet their famous hero. But strangely enough, they didn't ignore Tifa. A few customers gave her and Cloud gifts as the two served their food. Some even asked for Cloud's and Tifa's autographs.  
  
Tifa loved the attention. She had earned much more than just 1000 gil today. Of course half of that would go to Cloud, but she was simply overjoyed at the thought of so many customers.  
  
Cloud, on the other hand... He was getting way too many grateful looks. Not that it was a problem, but every time that a random customer asked for his autograph, it was enough to make Cloud blush. He just wasn't used to this.  
  
Tifa walked past Cloud, balancing a small load of plates. She laughed as yet another table of people squealed at having the hero serve them. One of the women in the group was holding a little boy on her lap. She let him down and motioned for him to go over to Tifa.  
  
The boy walked over. He placed his hands behind his back and shyly looked up at Tifa. "Congratulations, Mrs. Strife," he said quietly, mispronouncing a few words.  
  
Tifa dropped the plates in surprise.  
  
CRASH!  
  
Everyone turned her way. The restaurant was silent. Tifa blushed severly.  
  
"I'm sorry... Go back to eating, everyone..." She bent down and began to pick up the plate's shards.  
  
Cloud walked over to help, but Tifa motioned for him to go serve another customer. She threw out the shards and got to work on sweeping up the smaller bits of glass. She was still blushing the whole time. Tifa refused to look up.  
  
'Mrs. Strife? What had Cloud -told- them?!' She emptied the remains of the broken plate and walked upstairs calmly, just wishing to get away from it all. Tifa turned left and walked into her room. She sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed.  
  
Had she misunderstood Cloud? Was this really him? The real Cloud that she knew could never care about her, or anyone. But he seemed to feel bad about being rejected. Then again, he had strange intentions... Going around and telling people that they were married...  
  
Tifa looked around her room. Simple white walls, a desk, a bed. A door was on the far left of her room. It led out to a small veranda that she had built when remodeling the house. At the wall where her piano used to stand hung the framed old photo of the whole team at the Gold Saucer. Pretty much nothing else was here.  
  
She remembered seeing Aeris's room once. Pink flowery walls, paintings that Aeris had collected on the walls, flowers nearly everywhere, a canopy bed with enough blankets and pillows on it for a Queen, and stuffed animals. The stuffed animals were all scattered on her bed, and they were the easiest thing to see when you walked into the room--there were huge piles of them. Aeris probably slept buried in the fluff like a fairy-tale princess. She loved her collection so much. It represented how much she loved Gaia and all the creatures that were on the planet. Marlene was in love with the toys as well, and that's why she loved to stay at Aeris's house far more than at Tifa's old run-down bar.  
  
Upon seeing the pile of animals for the first time, Tifa had the impression that Aeris wasn't very organized. That was true, but it was Aeris's only fault. Besides, Aeris obviously couldn't help having stuff all over the place; her room was very small, yet the largest in comparison to the rest of hers and Elmyra's house. Every house in the slums was very small.  
  
Tifa glanced around her own room once more. She would never have piles of stuffed animals or pink wallpaper. She was sure that she wouldn't ever even have a single flower. 'How can someone like someone as boring as I am?' Tifa laughed to herself. She stood up and walked over to the place where her piano stood.  
  
She missed it so much. It was her most prized possession, that old instrument. But ShinRa had done their job too well... When Tifa came back to her house a year ago, not only was everything in ruins, but half of her stuff was gone. The piano was of course gone as well, and all that was left was a tattered stool.  
  
Normally right now, Tifa would sit down and play the piano to let her anger disappear. She had done that when she was younger. But now Tifa hardly remembered anything, and plus, she didn't have a piano.  
  
She frowned and kicked the wall in frustration. The photo of the team fell off the wall, the frame shattering. Tifa ignored it and walked out to the veranda to get some air.  
  
After a moment, she heard light footsteps. Cloud was on the veranda with her a few seconds later.  
  
"I'm sorry for running off..." Tifa turned around and put on a smile for Cloud. "We should get back to the customers waiting downstairs."  
  
Cloud ignored her words. "Tifa, are you alright? I wanted to let you stay up here by yourself, but then I heard something break..."  
  
"Oh I don't know, Cloud, maybe I'm just a little mad because you went around telling people that we were -married-."  
  
"Hey, I didn't tell them that! They probably assumed it when they saw me back in town. What's the first thing you think of when you see a hero and a heroine that had feelings for each other as children, reunited?"  
  
Tifa laughed. "Sorry then." She walked past Cloud and headed downstairs.  
  
'She's special...' Cloud looked after her with a feeling of admiration. He had never had a real role model, growing up. Strangely enough, he probably just gained one.  
  
~*~  
  
The fanfic isn't over yet. o.O You'll know when it's over cause I'll put up big huge words that say "TEH END!!!!!11:D" to let you know. ^.^ 


	16. Chapter XV : Akwardness

Eep... This chapter was soo late... -.- Gomen!!  
  
Oh yeah, and recommended reading music during this chapter: Purachina from Card Captor Sakura. xD It really makes you feel warm and fuzzy, sorta. O_o  
  
One more note, when it says something with dashes around it like -this- that means in italics or said in an exaggerated way. When I upload chapters with HTML, they go a little screwy, even with Notepad. xD  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER XV ~ AKWARDNESS }  
  
Six short months... They passed in an instant, didn't they? One moment, Tifa had agrees to letting Cloud stay at her restaurant for a while, and the next thing she knows, they're working together side-by-side. Incredible how with time came many changes as well. If Tifa had remembered the words she'd said just months ago, she'd practically kill herself.  
  
'I... I hate you.'  
  
Who could hate those soft blue-green eyes, that rare smile? Tifa hated herself for admitting it, even in secrecy, but she -loved- him. She loved Cloud again. Whatever spell he had set on her, it worked perfectly and simply. And now she was back in the deep void, unable to get out. Just like a year ago.  
  
It was another normal day, that would be followed by another and another. It had been like this for the past months that she had been working with Cloud. Tifa was sitting in the small garden that she had planted as a tribute to Aeris a while ago. It was January and light frost covered the town, but strangely enough, the flowers were in perfect bloom. Seemingly, all the snowflakes that fell on the petals had instantly melted...  
  
She stood and breathed in the cool air. Life couldn't have been better at this moment. Keeping in mind, the key phrase was 'this moment'. Soon, Cloud would leave. Everything would go back to being bland and lonely for Tifa. She wouldn't be able to fight the tears this time around... Falling in love with Cloud again was unhealthy, seeing that she would be alone again soon enough. She sighed helplessly. Why must fate be so demanding and cruel?  
  
Tifa started to walk back to her restaurant. It was just a block away, since she decided to plant the flowers in front of the local church. Her ruby earrings softly swayed in the wind. Snow began to fall, and she walked faster. But nearing her house, she saw that something was... Unusual. Tifa stopped and examined it.  
  
...Her room. Something was different about her bedroom. Cloud stood on the veranda outside of her room, glancing around nervously. He didn't seem to notice her. Tifa ran into the house quickly and made her way upstairs.  
  
Upon seeing her room, she nearly fainted.  
  
Yeah, all the walls were still white. The desk and bed were in their proper places. That old photo on the wall. So, what was different?  
  
The area beneath the photo. Tifa fell to the ground, joy overcoming her. She sat there, just taking in the sight of what stood there.  
  
Cloud calmly walked into the room from the balcony. He held up a book of sheet music and grinned at her. "You remember how to play it, don't you?"  
  
She nodded, too stunned to say anything. A black grand piano was in the empty space before her. So, that's what she found strange about her room... Something was blocking the window?  
  
Tifa was ready to burst into tears, although she had promised herself to never cry again. This was a good reason to cry, though... Happiness.  
  
"You got it for me?"  
  
Cloud nodded. He placed the sheet music onto the piano and Tifa stood and walked over to it. She ran her fingers over the wooden keys, just appreciating the smooth feel that brought back the memories of childhood. Tifa swept her hands over them and played the scale with agility. Following that, she took a look at the sheet music, and began to play the presented notes. And as the music filled her room, she realized that she was no longer that boring woman with white walls in her room. The music was painting the walls. She had found her talent.  
  
Tifa smiled at Cloud, the tears starting to spill down her cheeks. For just a moment, she lifted her hands from the piano, placed her arms around Cloud and leaned toward him. It was the best feeling, to receive the gift of realization. Tifa just took in the moment, this one moment that she would never be able to experience again. Cloud pulled her closer and closed his eyes. He felt the same way she did, like there was nothing in the world but this joy they shared right now.  
  
But the problem with thoughts was that you could never truly show them to another person.  
  
'What can she be thinking?' he wondered. That smile on her face burned him into feelings of depression. He only wanted to know what she thought of him. Her opinion alone mattered. Not Barret's, or Red's, Reeve's, Yuffie's, or anyone. Just Tifa's.  
  
(a/n: Hey everyone, do you know what it's time for? A RANDOM PLOT TWIST©! :D Please don't eat me.)  
  
Suddenly, as realization had struck Tifa, it struck Cloud. Maybe she didn't care at all. At least, not anymore. He could clearly remember the night that he and Vincent were left in the fields below Wutai. She said she loved Cloud, and he didn't care.  
  
Maybe it was her turn to not care.  
  
Pain stung him. Cloud pushed Tifa away lightly and turned toward the piano. His face was turning red, moreover from anger at himself.  
  
Sadly, Tifa thought it was from embarrassment. She bit her lip slightly but kept quiet. 'I probably shouldn't have hugged him for that long.' She smiled despite the tension in the room and sat back down at the piano. Tifa opened the music book to a random page and began to play.  
  
The melody was familiar to Tifa, as if she had heard it from childhood. It was sad and soft, and somewhat reminded her of someone. She glanced over at Cloud and saw that he was no longer tense, but now watching her calmly. His expression seemed pained in a way.  
  
'Maybe he remembers that song from somewhere like I do.' Tifa took her fingers off the keys. The music disappeared immediately. Suddenly something ached in Tifa's heart, as if the music made something seem missing.  
  
"Tifa?" Cloud looked at her, his soft bluegreen eyes pleading.  
  
'Funny how he can change expressions so quickly,' Tifa though, a smile crossing her face. "What?"  
  
"Um... Can you come to the Gold Saucer with me tomorrow night?" Cloud lowered his eyes to the ground. He was acting too shy. The look in his eyes made him seem so innocent and young...  
  
How could Tifa resist? She couldn't say no anyway. Cloud was truly her best friend, and she would never let him down, even if did the opposite to her.  
  
"Of course," she said, standing up. Tifa started to head downstairs, but stopped before leaving her room.  
  
'I wonder... If he'll mind?' She turned around slowly, her cheeks beginning to turn red.  
  
"Tifa? What's wrong?" Cloud took a step toward her, panic sweeping him.  
  
Without a word Tifa stepped forward, placed her arms around Cloud, and caught him in a soft kiss.  
  
~*~  
  
CLIFFHANGER! MWUAHAHA!!! *gets pelted with tomatoes* X_x Sorry. I can't really give you a cliffhanger if I had this fic on such a delay, now can I? -.- Soo, here's a less cheap ending to the chapter. :]  
  
~*~  
  
'Was I wrong about her not caring?' Cloud thought. Before he knew what was happening, Tifa pulled away and turned around, ready to run. Cloud took her hand and pulled her back to him, embracing her.  
  
'Of course I was wrong. Tifa is the sweetest, kindest person I know.' Cloud glanced at Tifa, who leaned against him. 'She loves me,' he thought bitterly, angry at himself for ever hurting her.  
  
He lifted her chin and suddenly realized that she was crying.  
  
A tear slipped down her cheek and landed on the ground, followed by another, and another. Bitterness swept through Cloud. 'She -loves- me,' he thought, angry at himself for hurting her so much last year.  
  
"C-Cloud... Please, let me go..." Tifa sobbed quietly. Cloud could clearly see that she was disappointed that he hadn't said anything about the kiss. She was hurt in the worst way possible-rejection.  
  
'I can't make things worse,' Cloud thought miserably. He let her go and she ran down the steps, away from it all. Cloud sighed headed for his room. He sat on the edge of his bed and glanced around.  
  
Cloud's eyes landed on a small box on the dresser beside his bed. 'At the Gold Saucer, tomorrow...' he thought, reaching over and picking up the box, 'I just hope Tifa understands...'  
  
He flicked open the box and examined the jewel that sat on a gold band inside.  
  
~*~  
  
You get that last line? ^^; For those of you who are a little slow, wait til the next chapter. :] Which I guarantee, won't be late. 


	17. Chapter XVI : Silver Cranes

Do I really suck that bad? X_x People on FFO have been chewing me out on the description... Well, sorta o.o I realize that I simply can't write drama and description, but I'm trying here. ^^; I've worked harder on this chapter, so do tell me what you think. Also, please offer constructive criticism, it'll help turn this pile of crap you're reading into something slightly more decent. :D Oh yeah, and do tell me what you'd like to see happen-I'm writing this fic for all you, not myself. ^_^ ...That, and I'm running out of ideas. o_o  
  
Overall the chapter focuses on the Yuffie x Vincent gaiden :D For the beginning, I tried a present-tense perspective. Just wanted to try something different. ^^;; Plus, it took me 20 damned minutes to write just one paragraph, multiply that by 10; (seriously, three and a half hours O_o; starting at midnight not to mention) and I worked hard on each, so I'd rather not go back and delete anything. -.-  
  
~*~  
  
{ CHAPTER XVI ~ SILVER CRANES }  
  
Picture it. Early morning. The entire sky bleached with pastel colors, as if someone had spilled buckets of paint over it and then smoothed out the darker hues. In one corner, a diminutive glowing bit, barely peeking out through the cerulean-rimmed clouds.  
  
That shine in the corner would be the sun, beginning to rise at the crack of dawn. And right now two overall unrelated, insignificant events are happening. The first is that a certain man has just awoken from another torturous nightmare, the same as the night before and the one before that. But that's taking place in some hidden natural campground in the concealed rolling valleys and meadows below Wutai.  
  
Our second event is directly in the Oriental city Wutai, inside of a gorgeous grand palace on the edge of a small, calm hill. Birds are landing on the window sill of the top tower. The young girl residing inside stands from the Persian carpet sprawled on the ground, the one she's been sitting on all night. As she walks over to the window, all the birds disappear, as if a part of an illusion. That's what she sees, anyway.  
  
She's too sleepy to see what is really before her. The poor thing can barely stand on her own two feet as she dully pulls up the shades and walks back to the carpet. She slumps down in a weary state and lifts a sheet of paper from the messy stack sitting beside her. Expertly she begins to fold, her fingers moving slowly yet gracefully.  
  
"Crease the edges, fold up the corner, pull the opposite parts together..." she whispers drowsily to herself, "And tuck the corners into the center."  
  
She overlooks the lovely fragile crane that she just crafted, then carelessly throws it into the growing pile behind her. Pulling out another sheet, the poor thing repeats the phrase and starts to fold again. Her fingers are now numb from crafting paper cranes all night.  
  
But she needs the luck that each crane will supposedly bring her.  
  
'Staniv warned me that something will happen... Something bad, to someone I care for deeply...' She throws the freshly crafted crane into the pile and takes a new sheet. 'And Staniv's never wrong. Then again, I don't exactly care for anyone 'deeply'. Father is always busy, too busy to offer any kindness, even toward his daughter. Mother's long gone, and I have no other family. My friends are gone too, and they've probably forgotten about me.'  
  
Yuffie looks outside for a moment, to that softly faded sky. Somewhere out there are her friends, living their regular lives. For a moment, she wishes that she could be there with Cloud and Vincent, traveling the fields. Even if she had the chance a year earlier, her duties of rulership would get in the way.  
  
'No point in dreaming,' she thinks in bitterness, reaching for another sheet of foil paper. Yuffie does realize she couldn't give up hoping to train with Cloud and Vincent.  
  
What she doesn't realize is that she cares not for training, but is reaching for something else. She's just too blind to see that.  
  
~*~  
  
'Another nightmare, another day to be followed by another night. Then the cycle will start over again.' Vincent stared up at the cotton candy-like clouds floating by. It was a bit too early for clouds-there were still a few stars dotting the sky.  
  
He got up, groaning at the pains in his legs. Apparently Vincent was a bit violent in his sleep, and thrashed at every nightmare he had. If only these damned nightmares would stop...  
  
Every night, it was the same thing. As if Vincent's mind repeated itself in his unconscious state. Every time that he closed his eyes, the images of Lucrecia being tortured, of himself transforming into the wretched Chaos would appear. One person, and one person alone caused all of this pain and all of the disastrous nights that Vincent had gone through.  
  
...Hojo.  
  
That word brought a sick taste to Vincent's mouth whenever he had to speak it. It was a disgusting name that represented a disgusting person, who wanted nothing but power at his fingertips. It was inhuman to feel only hatred toward others, and never love, compassion, or affection. And that's exactly what Hojo was, -inhuman-.  
  
But would that mean that Vincent, too, was inhuman?  
  
When you break everything in the Universe down, there is only one thing that exists. Love. Love is represented in many ways; you can be in love with the person you'll marry, you can feel a loving bond between siblings and parents, feel a protective love toward your children, understanding love toward friends, and even an I-feel-sorry-for-them sort of love for people you don't even know who you may see sitting outside in the cold snow, without a place to go or the family and warmth that you have.  
  
And if you were human, then you would love your worst enemies as well. Just a little. You would have to feel compassion for them, because each person is born flawless and optimistic. Someone who hates the world would obviously have had something awful happen to them, something that caused them to change. If you understood that, you were human.  
  
Guess what? Vincent -was not- human.  
  
He hated Hojo for every single thing that the bastard was responsible for. That pure hatred was the only thing that separated Vincent and a normal person. Looking closer, anyone would see that Vincent was quite comparable to any other person. He once felt love, had his heart broken and mourned the loss, and learned to move on.  
  
...Learned to move on?  
  
'Maybe not...' Vincent laughed at his own dilemma that was forming from the emotions he never knew he had. 'But clinging to someone long gone is normal.' He paused a moment. As Vincent stood to put out the ignited campfire, a firm frown formed on his face. 'I have to learn to stop having to correct myself. It's -not- normal, and not human.'  
  
Vincent sighed softly, his normally fierce red eyes beginning to look almost sad. Funny, he was feeling an emotion right now-sadness-but was sad because he was arguing with himself whether he had emotions or not.  
  
'Well, whatever,' he thought, 'I have to get moving.'  
  
Vincent pushed the confusing thoughts out of his head and packed up his weapons and camping supplies. The main focus on his mind turned to food. He was running out, and would have to find some wild animal to eat. He started off on the roughly carved path that curved through the fields, but before long, his target was spotted.  
  
A Foulander was sitting calmly behind a tree, unsuspecting that someone was watching. An opportunity to snag the creature appeared, and Vincent pulled out and raised the Death Penalty. He aimed at the creature perfectly from years of experience. The pull of a trigger and the deafening bang of the gun later, the Foulander was down.  
  
Or, so it seemed. Vincent placed the Death Penalty into its holster and approached cautiously. Obviously he wasn't cautious enough, because the creature sprang up and clawed at Vincent's face.  
  
"Ugh!" he nearly fell back, but managed to maintain balance. Blood seeped from red gashes that were literally carved onto Vincent's face. He reached for his gun again.  
  
It was gone.  
  
The damned animal flew at him again. In an instant, the Foulander was clawing at Vincent's neck. New gashes made their way all over his face as well. His outfit was no longer black, but now all a deep red with blood. Vincent was breathing lightly, hardly able to scream, hardly able to fight back. The blood loss was unbearable.  
  
Seeing that he was left no option but to give up, Vincent fell to the grass and fainted.  
  
~*~  
  
"M-Miss Yuffie?" Gorki stepped into the room slowly, as if trying to be cautious.  
  
Yuffie sighed and turned to Gorki, letting her unfinished crane drop to the ground. "What is it?"  
  
"Well... We found someone out in the fields... Some man, all dressed in black and r-"  
  
"I don't have time for whatever this is. I have to make 1000 of these damn things"-Yuffie motioned toward the pile of cranes with a look of annoyance upon her face-"and it'll take me the whole day."  
  
"A-Alright," Gorki stammered. "Please forgive me." He started toward the exit.  
  
Yuffie turned back to her craft. She took it into her hands and began to fold again. 'Silly, that Gorki,' she thought, 'interrupting my work. I should have him fired or something.' Yuffie paused and took a second to laugh softly. 'Nah, that would make me too much like Vincent. All mean and uncaring.'  
  
Vincent.  
  
Why did she keep coming back to that name?  
  
Yuffie took a look toward the door. Gorki was down the hall, talking to Staniv. Something suddenly clicked in her head. She froze and dropped the crane, as her eyes focused into space.  
  
'Black and r-'?!  
  
Yuffie left her temporary paralysis and sprung to her feet. She ran to Gorki and Staniv and stopped before them. Both turned with a surprised look on their faces.  
  
"Shouldn't you be working on your cranes?" Staniv asked, placing his hands on his hips.  
  
Yuffie disregarded the remark and turned to Gorki. "What was that man wearing again?"  
  
"Black and red, Miss Yuffie."  
  
"...Let me see him."  
  
Gorki bowed in respect and led Yuffie to the main room downstairs, Staniv following. A futon lay on the ground with someone resting on it, a blanket covering them. A blood-covered gun was beside them, some parts worn and damaged.  
  
"Death Penalty," Yuffie whispered under her breath. She meekly crawled over to the futon and sat near it. "Vin... Huh?"  
  
The person's face wasn't visible. Yuffie thought that black and red clothing would tell her enough from a distance, but now that she was closer, she saw that only a few small parts of the clothing were red... And all the rest were bleached maroon with blood.  
  
She pulled the blanket off cautiously. Yes, it was Vincent. But he was -totaled-! A small gasp escaped Yuffie's lips. Scars were all over his face and neck, some even peeking through the shredded clothing on his chest. The blood was covering him head to toe, most now dried. It had even reached his hair, dying it, too, a red color.  
  
Yuffie whimpered lightly at the sight. She turned away and closed her eyes.  
  
"Do you know him?" Gorki asked quietly.  
  
"Yeah... Gorki, how bad are his injuries?"  
  
"By the looks of it, he was attacked this morning. It all may take up to a week to heal."  
  
Yuffie's normally calm eyes lowered. "Who did this?" she hissed.  
  
"Well... It appeared to be a Foulander, Miss Yuffie."  
  
She nearly fell over. A Foulander?! Those things were only three feet tall, weighed 30 pounds, and fought like 6-year-old girls! What could have caused the tall, silent, powerful Vincent to lower his guard?  
  
Maybe his mind was on something? When in a half-unconcious state, even a Foulander could do a lot of damage. Enough damage for broken bones, scrambled thoughts, even... Memory loss. What if Vincent was a victim?  
  
"Gorki, get him to my room."  
  
"Right away, Miss Yuffie."  
  
If Vincent suffered any damage, Yuffie would be there by his side to help him through.  
  
~*~  
  
"Finally awake?" Yuffie asked, trying to keep a huge, cheesy smile on her face. Staniv warned her not to look grim if Vincent had awoken. That would make him ask questions, which would lead to akward answers and Vincent unintentionally causing pain to himself.  
  
Vincent groaned and pulled himself up. He ran his hand through his hair, only to find that it was covered with flakes of dry blood. He raised an eyebrow. "Alright, what happened and where am I?"  
  
Yuffie sighed. So much for trying to keep Vincent from asking questions. Well, she would just have to do this her way and tell Vincent everything.  
  
"Gorki found you in the fields somewhere south. You had blood all over yourself and scars on your face and neck. Gorki says a Foulander"-Vincent raised an eyebrow-"did this. We had you taken up to my room."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Cause I got stuck with the job of taking care of you, so you have to be near me all day." The statement sounded more like a question. Yuffie closed her mouth. It wasn't the complete truth, but it would have to do.  
  
Vincent laid back down on the blood-drenched futon. He used one hand to prop himself up, giving him a view of Yuffie. "What are you doing?" he asked, looking over one of the unfinished cranes in her hands.  
  
It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. Yep, he was definitely suffering that 'scrambled thoughts' effect. It was quite unlike Vincent to ask random questions like that. "Folding origami," she told him, handing him a crane.  
  
Vincent turned it in his hands. Unaware that it was supposed to be a piece of art, he started to unfold it.  
  
"Hey, stop that!" Yuffie snatched the crane from his hand. "I have to make 1000 of these and I don't need you ruining any!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
Again, that question. Yeah. Scrambled thoughts indeed. Yuffie got up and walked over to the other side of the room. She pulled a book from the shelf against the wall, opened it, and began to read.  
  
"Legends say that the crane can live for one thousand years. Thus the crane is a symbol of peace and long life. Cranes can be given to those who are ill as a gesture of wishful recovery or good luck. 1000 folded cranes can make their bearer's wish come true."  
  
"What would you need luck for?"  
  
"Staniv told me that something bad would happen to someone I care a lot for."  
  
Silence.  
  
Vincent's silence must have resulted from confusion. Yuffie's must have been from confusion as well, but a kind of wonder too. Trying to keep her eyes away from Vincent's, she turned back to folding the cranes.  
  
"Do you want me to help?" Vincent asked, watching her hands move through the festive colored paper.  
  
"Sure. It'll take longer if I work alone." Yuffie pushed a stack of foil paper his way. Watching her fingers closely, Vincent began to follow the pattern.  
  
The akward silence burned into them as they folded the cranes. Around 500 already lay in the corner, the pile growing larger by the minute. Finally, Yuffie resolved to trying to make conversation.  
  
"Vinny, what's your favorite color?" She smiled in her own unique fake-but- sweet way.  
  
When was the last time that she called him 'Vinny'? Well, two could play at the strange game that was forming. He smiled, trying to mock the devilishly cute expression on her face. "I'd say grey."  
  
"Seriously?" Yuffie turned up her nose. "I thought it would be black. Grey's all ugly and boring."  
  
"Black isn't?"  
  
"Uh... Well, it's much more fitting for someone like you. Why -grey-?"  
  
"..." He looked down at his hands, trying to find distraction in their movements. The reason was too delicate to tell Yuffie. It would not only make her laugh, but would create a feeling of akwardness for Vincent every time that he was around her.  
  
"Vinny-Tell meee-!"  
  
Vincent buried his face in his collar and whispered a muffled phrase.  
  
"What?" She leaned closer to him, raising the level of tension.  
  
"Cause it's the color of your eyes." He pulled down the collar and went back to folding cranes. Coincidentally, the next color he pulled was a dull silver.  
  
Yuffie's eyes widened in surprise at his words. She lowered her gaze to her hands as he did and started to fold again.  
  
Either that phrase resulted from Vincent's scrambled thoughts...  
  
Or it was something much more.  
  
~*~  
  
Okay, I tried X_x Please do give me help. I need help...! *grabs reader's ankles* Help meeee!!!  
  
Uh, alright then. ^-^; I hope that I reached my goal of more description and a longer chapter. It took a damn long time to write, so give me feedback! If I still suck, then write 'you suck because [insert constructive criticism here]' in your review. If you have a suggestion, put that in your review. And if you just wanna say 'ohMYgOSHyUfieANdVInNYR0x0RZZ!!!!111:D' in a review, do that too. :] Just please review, it'll help make the next chapter good. 


	18. Chapter XVII : The Scars That Don't Fade

O.O OH MY GOD IT'S BACK. Hahah. Thought you got rid of me, didn't you. :D But YOU NEVER WILL HAHAHAH. The following is a crapped up explanation of why this chapter is here. Skip down if you want. :O 

Remember, I told you and promised you 2394873 times that I wouldn't give up on this fic. And I lied and I actually did. o.x;;;; Something was probably still alive inside me, but I really didn't feel like working on it. I lost all my will to write, actually. I feel like I can't really write any fanfics because I don't have the skill to describe what I'm imagining. I have 98465 ideas. But I can't put them into words. o.x That's why I didn't write. So this fic died. But then one day I accidentally found a site and I accidentally got inspired. And I accidentally drank 3 Cokes and began to type this chapter. XD 

Advent Children. :D 

I randomly found the Japanese Advent Children site [follow the link from sites like adventchildren.net] and saw the American trailer. It made me melt with happiness. LOOK TIFA IS IN IT!! o.o She's all ass-kickity! She looks so pretty in CG! So yes, the movie is the inspiration and stuff. Tifa actually. o.x But whatever. Advent Children will come out at the end of this year, I'm guessing. The fanfic won't be finished by then I think. XD But even when the Advent Children storyline is introduced, and we see the movie and how Final Fantasy VII _really_ ended, I'll keep writing this fic. It's an ending to FFVII that I started before any news of AC, so that's all it's going to be. I won't alter this fic to fit the AC storyline. And what if the AC ending ends up sucking. What if Cloud and Tifa don't make out in a closet...! T.T That will be horrible! 

After that jolt of happiness, I re-read this whole fanfic. It disgusted me. -.- This fanfic is crap. The best thing to do would have been to re-write it all. But that would take too long. I know I would lose my inspiration, because the beginning of the fic up til this point bores me. XD I don't want to spend all that time rewriting the fanfic again. This would make it my 4th time about, and it came out crappy those 4 times, so why go for a 5th? I just decided to start from chapter 17, this chapter, and see where it would lead me. 

I started writing this right after seeing the trailer and did little by little every weekend and this is what came out. Obviously I've always written this fanfic on weekends because school sucks and my brother hates my files. But this is my last week of school :D The 10th is my last day, and on Friday, I'm beginning chapter 18. Who knows how long it will take to finish. I'm going to type on every night I can. No deadlines because they make the chapters suckier than they are anyway. x.x I hope this came out more decent than the crap that you guys put up with before. :O I tried. And I made this the longest chapter yet too, since ya know it's been a year and a half since I dropped this fic and wrote that last chapter. X.x 

{ CHAPTER XVII - THE SCARS THAT DON'T FADE } 

Another rainy, stormy afternoon. The bland shots of water streaked across the windows of the princess's home, rolling down and gathering on the window panes. Spring was arriving again, and with it came the breezy rains that would end up sculpting perfect flowers for summer. Yuffie and Vincent were locked up in the colorful cell for a few weeks. There was no release for Vincent because he was still overcoming the unbalance from the attack, and no release for Yuffie for the same reason. So they sat in the shelter of Yuffie's room and carved crane after crane. 

But the situation wasn't nearly as horrible as it sounded. There was no way for Vincent to be unaffected by Yuffie's endless chattering, and Yuffie wasn't bothered by Vincent's gloomy silence as long as there were words being freed from her mouth. So the weaker gave in to the stronger. Vincent responded to Yuffie's random jokes and began to talk to her. 

Once in a while, Staniv would pause by her room while walking down the halls. He would mutter his usual argument that Vincent was trash found in the fields and shouldn't be locked in the princess's room day after day, and sleeping among the stuffed animals near her bed every night. But he would continue on, reminding himself that the princess was already 18 and that was old enough to make her own decisions. Besides, it was simple. If Vincent helped Yuffie fold paper cranes til they reached 1000, then he would be allowed to stay in her house til he was healed. 

Vincent had seemingly long forgotten the incident in which he revealed his favorite color. But that simple opinion was too important to Yuffie, and the scene that took place on the night that he arrived replayed over and over in her head every morning. Every time he picked out a gray square to fold, Yuffie would keep her eyes steady on him as he creased the paper with his clawed hand and expertly crafted the triangle base. She would look down again when his eyes wandered to hers, and she kept a mental record of how long she could gaze at him before looking away. But the foolish child never realized that he always noticed her staring, searching for something that was lost behind his blank expression. 

That stormy afternoon, Yuffie and Vincent sat folding the hellish paper objects as usual when Yuffie requested an innocent favor. 

"Vinny, could you count the cranes and see how many we have left to make?" 

"Count...the cranes?" Vincent almost allowed a twitch. He raised his eyes up from the red half-folded foil that he held and glanced around the room. 

Cranes were _everywhere_. Gathered up on the wooden shelves on the walls, overflowing on the bed, piled in corners, wedged up above window frames, stuffed into the compartments of Yuffie's desk, spilling from the opened closet, and invading every inch of walking space. Indeed, this was a colorful cell—cranes were even piled up against the door. 

Vincent gave her a look, in a way asking her if she was joking. Yuffie looked up to the stony red eyes that looked nearly murderous because of what she just asked. 

"Please?" She repeated it a couple of times and offered a pouty expression. Vincent would have lifted a pile of cranes and thrown it at her, forcing her to count them herself... But his favorite color shone with such luster that in an instant he was lost. He caught himself staring too directly and shook away. He would just have to leave the impression of that pure color to savor for later. 

"Fine," Vincent muttered as he stood. He left his half-folded crane and made his way over to a corner, careful not to destroy any of the sculptures scattered on the floor. He sat down and began to count, throwing those already accounted for into a pile near Yuffie. 

A bit of time had passed, and Vincent finally cleaned out that corner. A large mound of cranes was piled up behind him. He turned around and sighed as he was reminded of the heaps of cranes towering along the walls of the room. 

"Four hundred and eighty-two," he proclaimed. "That corner alone." 

"Uh-huh," Yuffie mumbled as she locked her eyes onto the crane she was currently crafting. 

Suddenly, a thought struck Vincent. His face went pale. He glanced at the large pile that he gathered up next to Yuffie, then looked at the other equally large piles in the rest of the corners. He directed that cold, stiff look at her and froze. 

Yuffie noticed it out of the corner of her eye. "What?" she asked, looking up. 

"If there are almost five hundered in that pile alone..." Vincent began, "And there are three more piles like that, not to mention all the cranes in the closet, on the bed, in the desk, on the shelves..." 

"...Then we made a few too many cranes," Yuffie finished. Her face became equally as pale. 

Uneasy silence. The rain trickling in the background. 

That was the only sound until Yuffie lowered her eyes and tore the crane she was currently finishing in half. She threw the scraps aside and looked up, once again frozen. 

Vincent couldn't speak, but a thought kept repeating over in his mind. He had just spent weeks in Yuffie's house, recovering, and folding paper cranes. And he could have left already, but he stayed to accidentally fold around 2000 extra paper cranes. 

Oh, and he hadn't bothered to see just how many cranes they had finished... Because he was too busy _enjoying spending time with Yuffie._

A twitch came. It was slight, but another followed. Then another. Suddenly, Vincent shifted slightly. He didn't know what to attack—the thousands of horrid, malevolent things that he had just spent so much valuable time making, or the girl who made the mistake of assisting him in making them. 

He chose the later—simply because she was frozen with shock and sitting right before him, while the cranes were all around him. 

Vincent dove forward and tackled Yuffie into that pile of cranes that he counted and threw to the side. The ice shattered and she glanced around frantically, watching Vincent's claw pin her into the heap of paper. Her chest lowered as the pang of sharp pain attacked. Breathing heavily, she looked up, and froze once again. Vincent paused too. The only sound in the room was crinkling paper as he pushed Yuffie deeper into the pile of cranes, and Yuffie's low, rapid breathing. 

And suddenly, he smiled. Vincent began to laugh. It was that rare, perfect laugh that Yuffie heard only once before, and was lucky enough to hear twice. He looked to the side and lifted several cranes, then placed them on Yuffie. Leaning back, he repeated the process. 

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Yuffie demanded, fighting to dig herself out of the light pile. That was an easy enough task, but Vincent was still pinning her down. 

His laughter still resounding, Vincent collected as many cranes as possible around Yuffie. She gave him an unamused look as she stared up. Vincent grinned and leaned down, forward. Before she realized it, his lips were on hers. 

Yuffie froze for the millionth time and her eyes widened. This definitely wasn't a 'Gold Saucer' type of kiss, when Vincent brushed past her and touched her cheek. Oh, no... She relaxed slightly, letting the somewhat comfortable paper cranes serve as a bed. Yuffie heard only the continuing patter of the raindrops against her window. 

Vincent was in the same trance. But as he shifted, he felt the scar on her bottom lip. He faintly opened his eyes, then pulled away. He sat up and looked to the side. Yuffie's heart sank. 

"That scar," Vincent said almost inaudibly. "Sorry..." 

Yuffie gazed at him for a moment, then looked down. Suddenly, all the thoughts that she once had of that scar making her look pretty faded. She felt demented, messed up somehow, seeing Vincent retreat from her. 

Vincent was locked in deep thought, not realizing that the soul across from him was aching for his approval. 'Ashi' had given her that scar. And he had that image of the bastard memorized perfectly. It was an image he had seen even before that encounter, and it couldn't leave his mind. If only the past had never happened, then he would never be bothered by these interruptions. If only he could was away those memories, then he wouldn't have to ruin the present with Yuffie. 

He didn't even notice the perfect gray color fade from her eyes as tears emerged and rolled to the ground, where they dampened the abandoned paper cranes. 

The problem with thoughts is that you can never truly show them to another person.

* * *

The ground was damp, soggy with the rainfall that had continued for the past hours. Yuffie looked up ahead at the serene town, bright with color, as if the rain never touched it. She muttered words of jealousy—Wutai had nearly overflown with the downpours. 

She tightly gripped the large bag that she held and looked forward with determination. "Let's go!" she commanded, and began to march. 

Vincent stifled a laugh as he watched Yuffie walk forward, and nearly collapse from the weight of the bag. He turned around. "Cid, can you fly us a little closer?" 

From the balcony of the airship, Cid sighed. He lazily dragged himself over to the control panel. Yuffie called for him to wait, ran over, and heaved the bag back up as best as she could. She and Vincent hopped onto the ladder and grabbed hold of the rope as the airship began to whirr again. 

The still damp after-rain breeze was relaxing as they neared Nibelheim. Yuffie was grinning, even though the situation was weary. After all, she wasted so much time making those cranes, and now they would become useless to her. 

'Ah, who cares anyway?' she thought to herself, her grin spreading wider. 'Maybe I can steal some alcohol while Tifa isn't looking. Then again, now that I'm a little older, she should really give it to me without me begging or stealing...' 

Lost in her dreams of the magical world of alcohol, Yuffie didn't notice that the airship landed. Cid ran back to the deck and threw the bags there overboard. 

'I'm not taking you any further!' he called, carelessly starting up the airship again. 

Yuffie muttered a few curses. The bag had narrowly missed her, and if it didn't miss, she'd be a Yuffie-sandwich by now. 

"Bye-bye, Aunt Yuffie!" called a melodic, young voice. Sora, Cid's 2-year-old daughter, waved from the deck. 

"Bye," Yuffie hissed. Thoughts of how annoying that little brat was ran through Yuffie's mind, despite the hypocritical undertones. She wound the ropes of the bag around her hand and began to pull forward, inching across the muddy field toward Nibelheim.

* * *

Tifa was just as happy as Yuffie previously was. A smile was locked on her face as she stared out her window. In the distance, the fading field spread out, a magnificent crimson sun falling beyond. Beneath the window were sprinkles of flowers, dotting the entire yard of the restaurant. They bloomed flawlessly, each completing a rainbow, hybrid to the end of the small garden. Every petal of every flower overflowed with more shine than the previous. No other colors in the entire town were so brilliant. 

"Summer's almost here," she said to herself. "These rainfalls are almost over... Hope the poor flowers won't wilt." 

Tifa turned away and grinned softly to herself. "After all, I'm going to need those flowers very soon..."

* * *

The Gold Saucer was full that one night weeks ago. Couples, families, children, everyone darting around to play another game or follow another chocobo race. The emptiest of all attractions was the gondola, as Cloud had hoped. From up there, you could look out and up and see nothing but the peaceful indigo sky. Looking down, of course, ruined the mood, but there was really no point in looking down or up when you had something incredibly beautiful right before you. 

He almost changed his mind. His nerves were telling him to turn back, or even to jump out of the gondola to avoid this situation. But his heart was beating too rapidly, and he knew he couldn't bring himself to deny it. Cloud had one shaking, gloved hand wrapped around that box, playing at the edges, causing deep impressions in his trembling fingers. His lips were stained with blood inside, the blood leaking all over the wavering teeth that penetrated his lips in the first place. There was no way to turn around, because nothing was behind him. In front of him sat Tifa, and he would have to keep moving forward. 

He had to remind himself why he was doing this again. 'Because it's all over,' his nervous mind repeated, 'And I have to grow up already. Who better to grow up with than the person I owe everything to...' His thoughts trailed off when Tifa gave him a heart-melting smile. Cloud's shaking voice interrupted her before she could comment on the moment. 

He was so nervous, that it came by in a blur. Cloud had nothing but regrets for missing his own words. It was his fault too, because he hadn't calmed himself down. Even though he wasn't the type, his nerves leapt and shook his mind. One moment, he had kneeled to the dusty floor of the gondola. His subconscious mind went into play here, and only the random things made sense to him now. Meanwhile, his consciousness spewed phrases mememorized from nervous repetition. 

'I shouldn't kneel like this. The floor is too dusty... What's that noise? Sounds like explosions. Hey, what is she doing...? Why is she hugging me?' 

Tifa's arms were tightly wound around him, and he knew the answer. Unless she was actually attempting to strangle him, then she had said yes. Knowing that was enough. Cloud released the box that was stinging his fingers so painfully and all stiffness seemed to seep from his body. Feeling her, feeling the warm tears soaking into the shoulder of his clothes, feeling the unyielding grasp of her arms all dispersed the tense illusion. His subconscious mind sank back and he lifted his arms up too, returning the favor of security. 

His voice muffled by her hair, he whispered stifled words. She heard them clearly and returned them. The explosions in the background were even more subdued, and it was as if the world was in peaceful silence. Outbursts of color shone down into the gondola, brightening the couple with red, green, and blue.

* * *

Tifa's nostalgic thoughts were interrupted by a harsh banging on the door. She started, paused for a moment, then stood and made her way over. She was half-scared that someone would point a knife at her as she opened the door, or stick a gun in her face... 

Even worse. Little paper cranes came tumbling all over the floor, gathering around Tifa's feet. Yuffie came barging in, stepping over the hill. She dragged behind her a bag three times her size that she dumped in the kitchen. Vincent walked in behind her and placed a couple of equally large bags on the ground. 

"Hi!" Yuffie gave Tifa a wide grin. 

Tifa was speechless. She glanced at the pile of cranes sitting by her door, then at the three bags. She only hoped that they didn't contain what she thought they contained. Any instant, Tifa was ready to pounce on Yuffie and strangle her for this... Whatever she just did. Instead, she calmly blinked and asked for an explanation. 

"My supposedly clever advisors told me that some bad stuff would happen," Yuffie said, plopping herself down in a fluffy chair and reaching for a pillow to make herself more comfortable. The sight made Tifa twitch. "They found Vinny half-dead in a field, and he helped me make a thousand paper cranes for good luck. Except...we kind of made too many..." 

Tifa sighed. "And you're going to give them to me." 

"That's right." Yuffie leaned back and closed her eyes. "Maybe something bad will happen to you and you'll need the luck." 

"Sure," Tifa said, walking toward the door. She lifted an armful of cranes and threw them in the corner of the room. "Help me," she commanded to Yuffie. 

Vincent was already gathering up cranes and helping Tifa. Yuffie stood and lazily dragged herself over to the bags of cranes. She stopped for a moment, then smiled to herself and began to unwind the rope on the bag. She laid it on its side and began to drag the bag across the restaurant...spreading cranes all over the floor. 

"Yuffie..." Tifa's face went pale. 

"I'm decorating the restaurant!" Yuffie threw the half-empty bag to the side and opened the other, beginning to drag it through the room as well. "This place is so bland, and you could really use..." 

At that moment, Cloud walked into the house, carrying a boquet of white roses. He raised an eyebrow as he stepped over the pile of cranes at the door. Upon looking up and seeing the cranes all over the room, he raised the other eyebrow as well. 

The only sound was the soft wisp as the roses hit the ground. Then, a muffled scream as Yuffie landed head-first in the cushions of a couch. She yelled complaints at Cloud as she tried to pull herself out. He angrily stifled her with a blanket. 

'So that's how to get her to shut up.' Vincent made a mental note. 

Tifa lifted the roses and smiled. "Okay, I think that's enough." 

Cloud sighed inwardly as he stepped back and let Yuffie crawl out from under the blankets and pillows. She patted down her hair, which now had a style similar to Cloud's. 

"Cloud is here? At your restaurant?" Yuffie asked Tifa, blinking. "Maybe we should make _more_ cranes for luck." 

Tifa and Vincent pulled Cloud back as he dove toward the grinning ninja. 

"Okay, I'm leaving before Cloud strangles me." Yuffie stood and headed for the door. 

"I apologize for the cranes," Vincent said, bowing to Tifa and Cloud. He walked after Yuffie, pushing several of the ornaments to the side as he walked out the door. 

Tifa looked down at the flowers and place them on the table. "Are there any more white roses left?" 

"We have to use substitutes." Cloud looked around the room. "But there's going to be enough white at the wedding, with all these things..." He sighed and Tifa laughed. 

"Yuffie said they're for good luck." 

Cloud shrugged and walked back outside to pick more flowers from the garden. Tifa followed. Their wedding was set to be as soon as possible, and the best date was in a month. In that time they would have to send invitations out, decorate the restaurant, and gather half the flowers in their garden. 

The cranes wouldn't help them after all. Not even their white wings would ward off the dark shadow hanging over Nibelheim. In the end, you must have courage, because luck is useless.

* * *

Done. I have an idea of what I want to happen in the upcoming chapters. Will write whenever I have free time this summer. Tell me what you think and stuff. x] 


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